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http://archive.org/details/memoirsofsoutherbran
MARY POLK BRANCH.
Nee Mary Jones Polk, Tennessee.
MEMOIRS
OF A SOUTHERN WOMAN
" WITHIN THE LINES "
AND
A GENEALOGICAL RECORD
~Kotj
By Mary Polk Branch
THE JOSEPH G. BRANCH PUBLISHING CO.
Publishers, Chicago
Copyright, 1912,
by
Joseph G. Branch.
FOREWORD.
THIS little book is written for my children
and the descendants of those whose lives are
herein chronicled.
From its perusal may they learn still more
to reverence the memory of their forefathers,
and to prize the heritage left by them of noble
and honorable lives.
To this record I have added my memories of
the home of my youth, under Southern skies.
Then later the experiences of a Southern woman
during the Civil War, ' ' within the lines. ' '
This long retrospect of mine, a retrospect of
eighty years, portrays faithfully life in the South
as it was in ante-bellum times, and afterward
in her mourning vestments, the beautiful, heroic
South.
I write with a loving hand as I pay this trib-
ute to the past.
Mary Polk Branch.
December, 1911.
IA
MEMOIRS
OF A SOUTHERN WOMAN
CHAPTER I.
IN ANTE-BELLUM DAYS.
My father, Dr. Win. Julius Polk, was married
to my mother, Mary Rebecca Long, at Mt. Gal-
lant, Halifax County, North Carolina, in 1814.
Mt. Gallant was an estate, inherited by my
mother, from her grandfather, Gen. Allen Jones.
In 1828 they moved from North Carolina to
Columbia, Tennessee, where five brothers had
already preceded my father — making their
homes on plantations near the town. My father
was a devoted member of the Episcopal church,
and noted for the purity and integrity of his
character — his word being considered ' ' as good
as his bond."
He was elected again and again president of
the First Bank, in Columbia, and for years trus-
tee of the old St. Peter's church.
My mother was an able assistant in all good
works, and the blameless lives of this old couple
were marked by deeds of neighborly kindness,
charity and hospitality, for which the South was
so noted in ante-bellum days.
Their nearest neighbor was Bishop Otey, who
lived on an adjoining place, called Ravencroft,
and as both he and my father had a keen sense
of humor, many a good joke had they at the
expense of the other.
My mother and the bishop, both fine chess
players, usually ended the evening with a hotly
contested game of chess — the victor triumphant
and the vanquished insisting that the battle
should be renewed at a later day.
My mother was a woman of beauty and unus-
ual courage. She needed it as she said farewell
to her three soldier sons, and bade them do their
duty. But she had higher attributes than cour-
age — the charity which thinketh no evil, the
love which includes the sinning and the sinless,
recognizing the stumbling blocks that beset our
path. All beautiful things appealed to her. flow-
ers and poetry. She often recited verses that she
had learned in her youth. She seemed to me to
be a link connecting us to a far-off period, bind-
ing the present to the past. The rare courtesy
of her manner, which told of her gentle breeding,
combined with a slight formality, which, while
very kindly, precluded any familiarity. As I
have looked at her lovely old face I have thought
her the embodiment of all the virtues of her race.
In her ninetieth year she joined the great cara-
van, and now, with the husband of her youth,
as much of her as could die awaits the resurrec-
tion, at St. John's cemetery.
My father first rented the house owned by his
cousin, then Governor of Tennessee, James K.
Polk, afterwards President of the United States.
Then he bought a home, which I owned later, at
present the property of Mrs. Towler. At this
house, at the dinner table, was first proposed the
building of the Columbia Female Institute. Pres-
ent upon this occasion was Bishop Otey and my
uncle, Leonidas Polk, who was afterwards bishop
of Louisiana. The building was partly finished
in 1836, and I was carried there by my nurse to
be entered as a scholar.
Preparatory to the coming of the Kev. F. G.
Smith, who was first principal, his assistant
teacher taught the school in a room back of the
old St. Peter's church. The church was the
second house at the corner of Garden street next
to the old Masonic hall. The lady whose portrait
is at the Institute was Mrs. Shaw, of Philadel-
phia; her daughter, a beautiful young woman,
taught music. She was engaged to be married
to the Rev. Mr. Odenheimer, then pastor of St.
Peter's church on Second street, in Philadelphia;
afterwards he became Bishop Odenheimer, of
New Jersey.
An event of those early days was a reception
on the Institute grounds to President Andrew
Jackson. He was on his way to visit his niece,
Mrs. Lucias Polk, at "Hamilton Place," accom-
panied by Paulding, the novelist. I do not know
why he should have selected Paulding as a com-
panion, as Paulding was not a politician. On the
important occasion two little girls were chosen
to present bouquets to the distinguished visitors.
Accordingly, little Kittie Puryear, and I, in our
best white frocks, and with our hair curled, pre-
sented them. One bouquet was given to General
Jackson, mine to Paulding, who sent me a little
poem in response. This was, I think, in 1840.
Two years later my cousin, Sarah Jackson
Polk, and I were sent to a French school in New
York — Madame Canda's — and afterwards to a
10
school in Philadelphia. This cousin, who married
my mother's nephew, Kobin ap C. Jones, was one
of the loveliest characters I have ever known, and
the dearest friend of my life. We went to Nash-
ville on our way to Philadelphia, in our carriages,
dining at Cartright's, near Springhill; stayed
all night at a place a mile from Franklin, and
next morning proceeded to Nashville, a distance
of forty miles which now takes three hours to
travel. There we took passage on a small stern-
wheel boat — there was no stateroom, and we
slept in a large ladies' cabin with berths piled
one above another. Our party was composed of
my uncle, Lucias Polk, his daughter (my cousin
Sarah), Miss Dorothy Dix and myself.
Miss Dix, the noted philanthropist, had known
my uncle in Nashville, where he occupied some
public position, in the legislature, I think. Her
visit to Nashville was to petition the legislature
to build an asylum for the insane. She had vis-
ited every State for that purpose, traveling
alone, yet, she said, had never met with the
slightest discourtesy. She was from Boston,
and had been engaged to be married, and her
lover became insane. She visited him, found
him in a cell with a rock floor ; not a comfort ;
treated as though he were a criminal. She then
began the crusade to which she devoted her life,
and through her instrumentality asylums were
built in many cities where before the insane had
been confined in jails. I think through her
efforts the asylum in Nashville was founded.
This was about 1847.
She was charming in appearance, and her
11
sweet voice had a soothing effect upon maniacs.
She often sang to them.
In Philadelphia we were invited to the homes
Of many of her friends, and introduced to some
celebrities through her kindness, among others,
Doctor Hare, and I had the pleasure of dancing
with Weir Mitchell at his father's house.
After the return of my cousin and myself to
Tennessee our lives were like most Southern girls
Of that period. Wealthy Southerners usually
resided on their plantations, and visited friends
in their carriages, many miles apart, staying two
or three days. Some of these carriages were very
handsome, and drawn by four horses, as were
those of my uncles, George and Andrew.
The Old Southern Mammy.
In the "quarters, " as the negro cabins were
called, there was usually a band, which played at
night for the "white folks" to dance. "Old
Master" always led off in the "Virginia Reel."
Negroes are always fond of music, and as they
would play "Jim Crack Corn, I Don't Care," or
"Run, Nigger Run," or "The Patrolers Will
Catch You, ' ' or some other especial favorite, they
would become wildly excited and beat the tam-
bourines over their heads.
Our nurses we always called "Mammy," and
it was not considered good manners to address
any old negro man or woman otherwise than as
"uncle" or "aunt," adding the name whatever
that might be — the surname was always the
master's. We were taught to treat them with
respect.
12
There was such a kindly feeling on both sides
between the owners and their slaves — inherited
kindly feelings. How could it be otherwise?
Many were descendants of those who had served
in the same family for generations — for instance,
the nurse who nursed my children was the
daughter of my nurse, and her grandmother had
nursed my mother. My maid, Virginia (I can
not recall the time when she was not my maid)
was a very handsome young mulatto to whom I
was especially attached. When she was married
in her white dress and long veil flowing to her
feet, the ceremony was performed in our back
parlor, and Bishop Otey, the first bishop of
Tennessee, officiated.
How great the pride the negroes felt in the
wealth and importance of their owners, and
interest indeed in all of their affairs, amusingly
so, sometimes ! I recall an old woman, coal
black, a red bandanna handkerchief tied over her
kinky locks, and great dignity of manner, she
said to me: "Young missis should marry her
cousin, Marse Tom. and keep our family likeness
in our family."
Our Social Life.
Indeed, ours was a gay and free-from-care life.
I can recall delightful summers at Old Point
Comfort, and the Greenbrier White, in Vir-
ginia — winters in which I journeyed from my
father's plantation, near Helena, Arkansas, to
New Orleans.
There were palatial boats on the Mississippi
river then, for there was no other way to reach
13
New Orleans. At each landing', often at night,
lighted by the pine torches on the bank, the
roustabouts would roll aboard the heavy bales of
cotton, singing as they crossed the gangway their
gay negro songs, often throwing piles of wood
into the roaring furnace as they raced with some
other boat, which they were trying to pass, amid
shouts of triumph, or cries of defiance for the
rival firemen.
At their nearest landing, planters would come
aboard with their wives and daughters to do
their annual shopping in the "city," and the
big boat would plow its way down the broad
river with gay passengers laughing, dancing,
singing, and many a love tale, told upon the
guards until it rounded at the dock of delightful
New Orleans — the city of camelias, cape jas-
mines and violets.
But sailing down the broad Mississippi was
not always an unalloyed pleasure, sometimes
there were terrible experiences.
I recall how my bright and beautiful cousin,
Mary Brown Polk, and I started from Nashville
on "The America," for New Orleans.
After an evening of dancing and cards, we
retired to our staterooms. It was quite late,
and most of the passengers, including our
chaperones, had already sought their berths.
All at once there was a cry of "Fire!" and
looking out we saw a man dashing down the
cabin, while the carpet rose beneath his feet
from the gusts of March wind, while he cried to
the sleeping passengers : ' ' Fire ! ' '
Hand in hand, my cousin and I ran to the
14
deck. Around us women were shrieking wildly,
in every stage of undress. Men were getting
from their trunks money and valuables, for the
boat- seemed doomed.
The angry river, lashed by the wind, bore
upon its troubled surface bales of burning cot-
ton, which burst as they were thrown into the
water, and floated off like little boats afire,
lighting the dark and threatening river. The
pilot was ordered to land, threatened and im-
plored, but he was obdurate. He kept the boat
to the middle of the stream. He said: "The
river has overflowed its banks from the heavy
rains, and the boat would be burned before we
could reach the landing." He turned the boat
so the wind swept through the deck, carrying
the flames far from the guards, which were cov-
ered with wet blankets, so to the strong winds
we owed our salvation.
When the morning came, lovely and calm, as
if to compensate for the terrors of the night, we
floated on our way to New Orleans, the beautiful
metropolis of the South.
At Greenville, Mississippi, a large party came
board, of young planters paying their an-
nual visit to their commission merchants, or
with their sisters and sweethearts, going to en-
joy the gaieties of the city.
Formerly all families of any prominence in
the South knew of each other, so we soon formed
one party, and they added much to our enjoy-
ment.
15
Some Famous Beauties.
Patti was then on her first visit to New Or-
leans. She was very young, and accompanied
by her sister, Amalia Patti, whose husband,
Strakosch, played their accompaniments for
them. I remember how she pouted at some little
thing that did not please her.
The most beautiful assemblage of women I
have ever seen I then saw. There was Madame
Yznaga ; I had known her as a schoolmate as
Ellen Clement. Her husband was a Cuban
planter, and she owned plantations on the Yazoo
River, which had taken her South. Her sym-
pathies were strongly Southern, and I heard of
her playing the banjo and singing Dixie songs
when abroad during the war. She was the
mother of the Duchess of Manchester, and grand-
mother of the young Duke, who married Miss
Zimmerman, of Cincinnati.
Among the beauties was Miss Sallie Ward, of
Louisville, with the soft warm coloring and blue
eyes which Kentuckians often inherit from their
Virginia ancestry.
Then the Tennesseans, a very different type,
with clearly cut, regular features, brunettes, and
slight, graceful forms, brilliant eyes, but not
with the languor which characterized the Creoles.
While admiring them, a gentleman said: "No
one here compares with Madame Bienvenu,"
and looking where I was directed I certainly saw
a beautiful woman. I was told she was sixty,
but it was beyond belief, although upon her
shapely head were piled puffs of snowy hair,
16
Her large, velvety eyes had a lovely expression,
her creamy-white skin with but little color, but
her lips were crimson. Her neck and arms
showed to advantage in the black velvet gown
by contrast, and a single white camelia she wore
as a bouquet de corsage. I admired her en-
thusiastically.
The next summer I went to the "Greenbrier
White," in Virginia, with my uncle, Andrew
Polk, his wife and daughter, then a child,
Antoinette Polk, afterward the Baronne de
Charette. There could not have been a more
delightful place. Brilliant belles from all over
the South — gay cavaliers, chivalric and cour-
teous. I recall my saying : ' ' There is nothing
more I wish for on earth ; I am perfectly
happy. ' '
CHAPTER II.
It was on the morning of November 29, 1859,
that Col. Joseph Branch and I were married at
"Buena Vista," my father's, afterwards my,
home, at Columbia, Tennessee. Colonel Branch
was finely educated, benevolent and honorable,
and I may be excused for saying, handsome,
though I have now no photograph of him.
Every advantage had been given him by his
uncle, Governor Branch, of Florida, his guardian,
who was Secretary of the Navy under Jackson.
First he was sent to Chapel Hill, North Carolina ;
afterwards to Princeton, where he graduated as
valedictorian, about 1835, in a warm contest be-
tween a Northern and Southern champion. His
17
brother Laurence was salutatorian, afterwards
Congressman for many years from North Caro-
lina, and in the war brigadier-general. He was
killed at Sharpsburg. The two brothers, after
their matriculation, went to their uncle's home,
"Live Oak,'' in Tallahassee, and practiced law
together.
Colonel Branch was very successful; a mem-
ber of the legislature at twenty-one, and presi-
dent of a bank, when he married his first wife,
Annie Pillow Martin, amiable and vivacious. She
died five years after her marriage, leaving two
sons, George Martin and Henry.
Colonel Branch then left Florida and formed
a partnership with his father-in-law, and their
plantations were in the name of Martin and
Branch. There were two plantations, seven miles
long, in Desha and Arkansas Counties, Arkan-
sas — the Davis and Dayton plantations. The
Davis half-way encircled the lake, reflecting the
white cabins and green trees of the "quarters"
in the water. It was laid out in regular rows of
houses with streets between, two hospitals — one
for the men, one for the women — a nursery for
the children, and two old women to take charge
of them.
In approaching the place there was first a
cotton field of one thousand acres, level as the
floor, and at regular intervals sheds with light-
ning-rods attached in case of storms, and at each
shed a cistern. A field of cotton would be one
day white, the next day the blooms changing to
pink, and presenting a beautiful appearance.
Upon these plantations were four hundred
IS
slaves before mine came, given me by my father
from his plantation near Helena, Arkansas.
Upon my arrival as a bride at the plantation
I found the house servants drawn up in a line
on the front porch to greet me, and the house
brilliantly illuminated. Among them was ' ' Aunt
Beck," a dignitary of great importance, my hus-
band's nurse and then his cook. She was a privi-
leged character. Colonel Branch's mother had
left the children to the care of this devoted nurse
on her deathbed, and her affection for them
was boundless. As Governor Branch's cook in
Washington, where he was Secretary of the
Navy, she had also been their consoler in many
an escapade.
She had no children of her own, and my hus-
band and his brothers, orphans, she considered
her own. They gave her her freedom when they
were grown, but she scorned it and said she
would never leave "Marse Joe," my husband.
Good and faithful woman ! The bullet which
killed her favorite broke her heart, and she lived
but a short time afterwards.
CHAPTER III.
After arriving at the plantation, I was startled
late one night by the great bell of the "quarter"
tolling. I ran to the front porch, and could see
big fires lighted on the streets in the "quarter,"
and could hear the women crying, ' ' Two children
were lost in the cane back of the plantation. ' '
The wild hogs in the canebrake were danger-
ous, and might attack and even devour the chil-
dren. So a great fire, fed by pine knots, was
19
kept blazing all the night, as a guide. The bells
on all the plantations around took up the alarm,
and men on horseback came dashing up to know
what was the trouble on the Branch plantation.
My husband and men with lighted torches
went in search, but the children were not found
until next morning, asleep under a cottonwood
tree.
Every day we went out on our horses, riding
through the canebrakes, bayous, down the turn
rows of immense fields of cotton, to the ditches
where Irish laborers were digging to drain the
marshes — to the nurseries, to the hospital with
fruit, or some delicacy for the sick.
In the evening we entertained ourselves with
the piano and the library ; among the books were
many religious ones, for Colonel Branch was
pious, and a member of the Episcopal church.
An innocent and ideal life !
We varied it in a few months by going to New
Orleans and from thence to Cuba. At Matanzas
we had quite an experience. We got on a car
where the men were evidently going to a cock
fight, each with a cock under his arm. They had
seen our names upon the passport, which had
excited their suspicion. Laurence Branch,
Colonel Branch's brother, had introduced a bill
in Congress very obnoxious to the Cubans — for
the United States to buy Cuba for some millions,
and, suspecting this to be the Branch, our inter-
preter, who, of course, spoke Spanish, had great
trouble in keeping us from being mobbed by the
angry crowd.
The summer after my marriage, 1860, I spent
20
iii the East, and until then I had no idea of the
feeling in the North against the South. My maid
was soon enticed away at Niagara. From thence
we went to the Continental Hotel, in Philadel-
phia. The hotel was filled with Southerners. A
few evenings after our arrival a procession of a
thousand men, bearing torches, stopped in front
of the Continental, and were addressed from a
platform in front of the hotel by Charles Frances
Adams. I remember a part of his speech in
which he said: "The North should be made a
haven to the oppressed negro of the South, ' ' and
his other remarks were to the same purport.
We felt wantonly insulted, and for the first
time I had a foreboding for the future, which
grew stronger during our visit to the Greenbrier
White Sulphur Springs, of Virginia, soon after.
The ' ' White ' ' was different from what I had ever
known it before. There was the "German" in
the morning and the ball at night, but there was
a tone of seriousness underneath it all. The
young men, and the old, could be seen in groups
discussing some point that was evidently exciting
them.
We felt the gathering clouds that foreboded
the coming storm. From White Sulphur we
returned to our home in Tennessee. Everything
there seemed beautifully peaceful and calm.
Tennessee's first vote against secession was sixty
thousand, as the old Whig party, which had great
strength in Tennessee, was opposed to it, but
when her sister States seceded, Tennessee went
with them, and her best blood flowed freely in the
cause.
21
Tennessee was a border State and she and
Virginia bore the brunt of the war. It is stated
that one-fifth of the dead of both armies was on
Tennessee soil.
CHAPTER IV.
Oh, the horrors of civil war ! My mother was
a Spartan mother, and she said to her four boys,
"Go and do your duty."
There was my gay and handsome brother,
Tom, who left his wife and children ; Lucius,
whose name I can not write without a pang;
Cadwalader, and Rufus.
Colonel Branch was in jail for a few days in
Columbia, Tennessee, then exiled by General
Negley with the penalty, if ever caught in fed-
eral lines, to be hung as a spy, and property
confiscated.
In the meantime my mother and I were alone
at Buena Vista. There were five hundred sol-
diers — a cavalry command — encamped about
the place, but the officers were kind and placed
pickets at the doors for our safety. Yet, not-
withstanding, we had nightly alarms and the
house often searched. I recall one occasion, as
my mother and I were driving from Columbia,
with many contraband articles, we were stopped
by two pickets, who proceeded to search the car-
riage .
As one soldier picked up some trifling article
of my mother's, she exclaimed, "Would you
deprive me of that small pleasure?" The other
soldier, at the same time, saw a pair of soldier's
gauntlets, I intended for General Cleburne. He
22
looked at me, saw the terror in my face, a vision
before me of Irving Block, in Nashville, where
rebel women were confined, and then turning to
the other soldier he winked at me and said,
' ' Come away, there is nothing there, let these
ladies go on."
Many letters and supplies and these same
gauntlets we carried to Florence, Alabama, to
soldiers there. Of course, we ran a great risk,
but we relied upon our coachman, who was very
loyal to us, and secreted some of the letters upon
his person.
A federal raid had just taken place in the
country through which we passed, and houses,
farms and fences burned, the fire still smoulder-
ing where food had been cooked. It became
dark and our coachman was blind at night, and
the road so covered with autumn leaves we lost
our way. I walked in front, putting aside the
leaves, to find traces of the road, and calling out,
"Drive to the right, drive to the left." At last
I saw a fence and, following it up, we came to
a substantial log house, and were barely in it
before a cavalry company came dashing up,
demanding if some of "Wheeler's soldiers were
not there." Fortunately for us, our host was a
well-known Union man, and the house was not
searched.
CHAPTER V.
The few Union men were occasionally of great
service to their friends and relations. My
brother-in-law, Judge Russel Houston, for
instance, whose brother, Governor Houston, of
23
Alabama, and all of his own and his wife's
family were "secessionists," stood very high
among the federals (as Union men of his ability
and social prestige in the South were very rare),
and, in consequence, there was a great deal in
his power.
My sister was very loyal to her husband, but
natural feeling would assert itself. I recollect
standing with her at a window, when a cavalry
company of General Wheeler's, who had been
burning bridges between Columbia and Nashville
to prevent the approach of the enemy, came
dashing through the town, closely pursued by a
federal company. My sister, in her excitement,
clasped her hands and exclaimed, "Oh, if they
had but wings to fly ! "
But amidst this gloom there were occasional
flashes of sunlight. When the Confederates were
in possession how gay it was, and the soldiers
such toasts.
I recall General Armstrong's wedding — -the
officers in full uniform, and wearing the yellow
scarf of the cavalry. The beautiful bride, a
great-niece of President Polk's, a brunette, in
contrast with the blonde appearance of her hand-
some husband.
Then the brilliant ball at Ashwood Hall, the
gracious host and hostess, and Antoinette, their
daughter, a young heroine of the Confederacy,
who afterwards became the Baronne de Charette.
She was visiting me when I saw in front of
my house, on the Hampshire pike, Maj. Hunter
Nicholson dashing down the pike, pursued by
cavalry in blue coats. I knew at once that
24
Columbia had been taken possession of by
the Federals and I called to Antoinette Polk.
She came down the steps, the gauntlets in her
hand, and her hat with its long ostrich plume in
the other, ran for her horse in the stable, dashed
through the woods, to reach the Mount Pleasant
pike, where Ashwood Hall, and the homes of her
two uncles, each a mile apart, were situated.
They were filled with soldiers who would be
taken by surprise and captured, unless she
reached them in time.
She gained the gate, which opened upon the
pike, and as she did so, she saw approaching her
three Federal soldiers, fast riders thrown out to
capture prisoners, and then commenced a won-
derful race. The horse was a young thorough-
bred, and seemed to realize her peril. The last
she saw of the cavalrymen they were digging
their spurs into their horses' sides with their
heads almost on a level with those of their
horses. She gained the woods and was lost to
their sight. On reaching Ashwood she roused
the Confederate soldiers, and was taken almost
fainting from her horse; the horse's mouth cov-
ered with blood and foam from its bit. The
soldiers picked up a trophy, her long ostrich
plume, which dropped from her hat, and return-
ing showed it to the colonel, who said, "Why
did you not shoot her in the back ' ' ?
Her father was Capt. Andrew Polk, a cavalry
officer, who returned from the Kentucky cam-
paign a helpless invalid, went abroad with his
family, and died at Vevey.
This oldest daughter, of whom I have just
ANTOINETTE POLK.
Baronne de Charette.
26
written, Antoinette, married the Baron de Char-
ette, nephew of the Comte de Chambord, and
colonel of the Pontifical Zouaves in the Garibaldi
war.
The marriage was celebrated in Paris, with
great eclat. Among the splendid gifts was an
aigrette of diamonds from the Pope, a diamond
laurel wreath from the Zouaves, coronet from the
Princess de Berri. The mother of General Char-
ette's first wife, Duchess de Fitz- James, sent a
magnificent present, and others, equally hand-
some, were given.
In 1884 they visited Canada, where they were
received with great enthusiasm by the Catholics.
The public receptions in Quebec and Montreal
were grand ovations.
They had but one son, Antoine, who was
recently married to Suzanne Hennin, of Ken-
tucky. His title (having been given an estate,
which carried the title with it), is Marquis de
Charette.
It was just before this sortie of the Federals
into Columbia, that I met General Van Dorn, the
gallant cavalry commander, so handsome and
gay. It was at a ball at Ashwood Hall given to
the officers that I first met him. A few weeks
later I attended his funeral. He was assassi-
nated, and the procession passed to Rose Hill
cemetery, from Columbia, where he was buried.
Of course, the funeral was a military one, and I
never shall forget the solemnity, the music, the
blare of the trumpets, the powerful black horse
that was led riderless, and on each side the
inverted boots of the late gallant officer.
27
We had about this time an unexpected pleas-
ure. Adelina Patti came to our little town,
Columbia, to visit her brother Carlo, who was
quite sick, and on a sick leave from the regiment
in which he had enlisted, the "Second Ten-
nessee."
I had heard Patti some years before, when
she was very young — I think about twelve. She
sang then at a concert in New Orleans. Stra-
kosch, who had married her older sister, accom-
panied them on the piano.
On this occasion, in Columbia, a long narrow
room called "Hamner's Hall" was prepared for
her, as she had consented to sing. During the
war we had no oil for our lamps, and considered
ourselves very fortunate to have home-made
candles. Accordingly, the footlights were an
array of tallow candles, with tin reflectors. When
Patti entered, and saw the primitive arrange-
ments, the lights, the hats of an antiquated style,
which confronted her, it was beyond her to con-
trol her amusement ; she hid her face behind a
huge bouquet, and shook with laughter, while
we, the audience, sat in indignant silence.
Soon after this, "Blind Tom" was in Nash-
ville, and I, as secretary of the Hospital Asso-
ciation, wrote to his manager, requesting that
he should give a concert in Columbia. We were
trying in every way to get funds for the hospital
and this proved very successful. Two gentlemen
gave us a hundred dollars apiece.
28
CHAPTER VI.
How busy that hospital kept us ! Knitting',
making underwear, collecting supplies, sending
boxes to the army. My mother was instrumental
in organizing it, and was president until the
close of the war. We not only ministered to our
own wounded soldiers, but to many of the Fed-
erals, who were taken prisoners, had been
wounded, or were sick, and .brought to the hos-
pital.
This reminds me of an incident that occurred.
My two beautiful gray carriage horses had been
seized soon after we were in Federal lines, and I
wished to regain possession of them, so I asked
the services of the provost marshal, a Union man,
and near neighbor of ours, to accompany me to
headquarters, which he did.
The officer in command asked me several ques-
tions, and among others about the hospital. I
replied, "My mother is president, and we give
every care and attention not only to our own
soldiers, but also to the sick and wounded
'Yankees.' ' At this he sprang up indignantly
from his chair, and said, "Madam, I have seen
you but ten minutes, and during that time you
have twice insulted me. I wish you to under-
stand I am from Ohio, and the soldiers also who
are under my command. We are not "Yankees."
With this the interview was at an end, and there
were no horses for me.
29
Shiloh
On April 6, 1862, the battle of Shiloh was
fought, gained the first day, and lost the next
day.
A Union man from Columbia was said to have
brought the order from Grant to Buell to rein-
force him.
So at night sixty thousand men waded Duck
river in their forced march, and changed the
defeat of the first day into a victory the second
day. That terrible day ! As I lay upon my sick
bed I could hear the tramp of the mighty host,
as they passed upon the turnpike. They
swarmed over our house, and only the pleading
of my mother kept them out of my sick room.
In my delirium I would sing ' ' He has fought his
last fight. He has won his last battle"; words
from an old song, I think called "Sir John
Moore's Farewell."
In that battle it was said "every man who
could bear arms, of the name of Polk, fought."
CHAPTER VII.
My brother Lucius went into the battle as a
first lieutenant. His regiment, the first Arkan-
sas, was cut to pieces, the captain of the company
made a prisoner, and left with but one officer.
Lieutenant Polk took command and led the regi-
ment for two days. The next day after the bat-
tle he was elected colonel by the men unanimously
and appointed afterwards.
Of that heroic brother what could I not tell"?
There was never a nobler and more magnanimous
30
spirit, united to a tenderer and more merciful
one — to write of him even in the "so long ago"
sends a pang to my heart.
Lucius Polk was born in Salkburtf, North Caro-
lina, July 10, 1833, the family soon after moving
to Tennessee. He enlisted at the commencement
of the Civil War in Arkansas, where he owned
a plantation, and was elected first lieutenant in
Gen. Pat. Cleburne's company, in the regiment
known afterwards as the "First Arkansas."
Lieutenant Polk's first service was with the
Arkansas troops at the capture of the arsenal
at Little Rock, Arkansas. His first fight was at
Shiloh, after which battle he was promoted
colonel of the regiment.
When the Confederate army fell back from
Corinth, he was ordered to cover the retreat,
"if not a man be left." He defended the bridge
so gallantly, that he was complimented in Gen-
eral Cleburne's report (official report).
He was in the campaign in Kentucky, under
Gen. Kirby Smith, and was wounded in the bat-
tle of Richmond, and six weeks later that of
Perryville. Colonel Polk was then appointed
brigadier-general, in command of Cleburne's old
brigade.
He was in the two days' fight at Murfreesboro,
Tennessee, where his uncle, General Leonidas
Polk, was in command of one division of the
army ; at Chattanooga, where his brigade did
valiant service, and in all the battles in the
retreat from Tennessee.
His brigade brought up the rear in falling
back from Missionary Ridge, General Cleburne
GEN. LUCIUS E. POLK.
32
in command of the division, entrusting him with
the charge of the rear guard.
In the ambuscade which he formed, by conceal-
ing his troops on each side at Ringgold's Gap,
and then ordering a sortie, his brigade fought
most gallantly, capturing two of the enemy's
flags, and he was most highly complimented in
the official reports of Generals Johnston and
Hardee.
In the fight near Hope Church, in Georgia,
he was desperately wounded and crippled for
life.
In his official report of the battle of Chicka-
maugua, Gen. Joseph Johnston said, "But for
the valor of Gen. Lucius Polk's brigade we could
not have carried the day."
General Polk did not long survive the war,
and died at his residence in Maury County.
Of him could be said not only "the bravest of
men, but the truest and most loyal."
His two oldest sons, Rufus and Lucius, were
in the Cuban and Philippine wars, and showed
themselves worthy of their parentage.
The first, Rufus, was twice a Congressman
from Pennsylvania (where he had married), and
he was prominently mentioned for lieutenant-
governor of Pennsylvania at the time of his
death, at the early age of thirty-four.
33
CHAPTER VIII.
My brother had but one furlough — he was
sent home after the campaign in Kentucky. We
did not even know he was wounded (so difficult
was it to get any intelligence from the army),
when one morning he came limping into our
sitting-room, the shadow of his former self, his
head bound with bandages, and also shot in the
foot. You can imagine how we felt !
After this came the battle of Murfreesboro,
the two days' fight on the thirtieth of Decem-
ber and first of January, 1863. During the
progress of the great battle which was fought
there, my mother and I, and many others, went
to the ' ' Knob, ' ' which overlooks Columbia, and
with straining ears listened to the thud of the
cannon forty miles distant.
My mother dispatched in haste, Oscar, a faith-
ful servant, to ride across the country to Mur-
freesboro with bandages, liniments and supplies,
for her sons who were in the battle.
The Confederate Army were encamped on
Stone river — General Hardee commanding one
corps, and Gen. Leonidas Polk, "The Fighting
Bishop," the other. I have a plan of the Battle
of Murfreesboro which I prize highly. It is a
topographic view of the ground upon which the
two armies were posted, drawn by Captain Mor-
ris, chief engineer of Polk's Corps, for Lieuten-
ant-General Polk. The original was destroyed
34
and. I have the duplicate, sent by Captain Morris
to me.
The position of the Federal troops under Rose-
erans is given with division commanders and
brigades, as well as that of the Confederates.
Bragg commanding, and the two corps com-
manders, Lieutenants-General Polk and Hardee,
in command of the right and left wings, en-
camped on Stone River, whose waters were
tinged with blood after the battle.
The cemetery near Murfreesboro is filled with
monuments to the dead of both armies.
Gen. Leonidas Polk's unique career came to a
close at a later period at Pine Mountain, near the
Kenesaw.
He was born at Raleigh, North Carolina, April,
1806. He commenced his education at Chapel
Hill, North Carolina. He received his appoint-
ment as cadet to West Point in 1823 — his father
having been an officer in the Revolutionary War,
was very desirous that his son should also add to
the military traditions of the family — but,
influenced by the eloquence and devotion of' the
chaplain at West Point, he became a member of
the Episcopal Church and studied for the min-
istry.
In Richmond, Virginia, he first entered upon
his church duties, and after a year's travel
abroad, returned and made his home in Middle
Tennessee upon a tract given him by his father.
In 1838 the general convention made him mis-
sionary bishop of the Southwest, which embraced
Arkansas, Indian Territory, Mississippi, Ala-
bama, Louisiana and Texas.
LEONIDAS POLK.
Bishop of Louisiana and General in the Confederate Army.
36
Many amusing' anecdotes are told of him at
this period. He had a great amount of humor,
and must have enjoyed them immensely.
Once, while on Red river, a planter wished his
son baptized by an Episcopal minister, but the
boy fought valiantly against it, unless his black
chum, Jim, was also baptized. "Well," said the
bishop, "Bring Jim in, and we will make a
Christian of him, too." It seemed many small-
pox cases were reported on the plantations, and a
dignified circle, invited to meet the bishop, were
discussing vaccination when in burst Jim, wildly
excited, "Master, master, you have Marse Tom
baptized over again — it never tuk that ar time ;
he's out yonder cussin' the steers worse than
ever, an he says he ain"t gwine to stop fur
nobody. ' ' The ice melted, and the bishop turned
and said, ' ' Commentary on the doctrine of bap-
tismal regeneration."
The following anecdote I have never seen in
print : In going down the Mississippi river at
Natchez, where the boats would stop for a short
time, there was a lunch-room near the wharf, the
proprietor of which was a noted character. He
prided himself upon knowing the occupation or
profession of any man by his appearance, and
would greet his guests accordingly, announcing
them as they came into the dining-room : ' ' Walk
in, doctor," "Walk in, lawyer."
On this occasion, as the bishop entered, he
called out "Walk in, judge." Excuse me, said
the host, "I should have said general." "No,
not general? Now I I- now I must be right, walk
in, bishop."
37
"Why do you give me these titles'?" said the
bishop.
"Because," replied mine host, "I know what-
ever profession you follow you are bound to be
at the head of it."
Indeed the bishop did look the born leader.
Of majestic and very handsome appearance, a
face full of determination, yet softened by great
kindliness and good humor.
At one of the conferences, after the battle of
Belmont, and the business of the flag of truce
had been dispatched, the party adjourned to
a simple lunch, provided by the Confederates.
One of the officers, the gallant Buford (of the
Twenty -seventh Illinois), raising his glass, pro-
posed a toast to General Washington, the
"Father of his country." General Polk, with a
merry twinkle of his eye, quickly added, "And
the first Rebel." The Federal officers joined
with excellent humor in the laughter which fol-
lowed the sally, and drank the amended toast.
Never did the bishop neglect his religious serv-
ices and the morning prayers. In a meeting in
New Orleans, on his birthday anniversary, I read
records of his death prepared by Colonel Hop-
kins, a member of his staff :
"On the morning of June 14, 1864, General
Polk received an early message from General
Johnston, with request to meet at Pine Moun-
tain to make a reconnoissance of the position of
the enemy. Morning prayers having been said
by the general, as usual, and the frugal meal of
those forced days of abstinence been disposed of,
the general mounted his well-known roan,
38
'Jerry,' and rode alone, followed by two of
his -staff and two men of the escort. During
that lonely ride, contrary to his usual mien, the
general seemed dispirited — possibly his thoughts
were drifting to the loved flock of his far-away
church, possibly to his plantation home, on the
bayou, and possibly again to the fast-declining
fortunes of the Confederacy, whose doom was
already foreshadowed. To all appearances lost
in thoughts of sadness, he led the way to the
meeting place, where fate awaited him.
"Arriving at Pine Mountain, General Polk
found Generals Hardee, Johnston and Jackson
(of the cavalry) on the ground.
"The day was ideal, and the stillness of death
was abroad, for both armies rested on their arms,
facing each other, but ready at a moment's
notice to rend the air with shot and shell.
"On this exposed position the group of gen-
erals had assembled — it was evidently a council
of Avar ; when suddenly a puff of smoke arose
from the distant lines, and ere it had melted in
the air a murmuring shot passed overhead.
Warned by the artillerymen of the danger of
their position, the group of generals sought
shelter. Then came the second shot, lower, and
better aimed, when, looking back from my place
of safety, I saw General Polk alone, on the very
crest of the hill, with arms crossed, and looking
intently at his front.
"In an instant I was at his side, but, alas ! too
late, for at that very instant a solid shot was
tearing its murderous way, with a hissing soivid,
through his chest, carrying his heart, and shat-
39
tering both his arras. Without a groan his great
manly form, so full of honor and of love, tot-
tered and fell, with his feet to the foe, and his
face upturned to the sky above.
The general's remains were taken to Marietta,
Georgia, from thence to Augusta, where they
now repose in St. Paul's Church, in the crypt
beneath the chancel.
Shortly after this the army fell back, pursued
by Sherman on his march to the sea.
CHAPTER IX.
On December 15, 1861, I started for the plan-
tation in Arkansas with my nurse and small
family to see my husband.
Nashville was in Federal lines, but I had a
permit to go to Memphis, via Louisville. There,
through the influence of my brother-in-law,
Judge Russet Houston, then of Louisville, whose
handsome home in Nashville had just been
burned to the ground to build Fort Houston, I
was permitted to take with me many contraband
articles.
I had a shoe trunk rilled with sugar and medi-
cines, and an overcoat for my husband, with to-
bacco in the pockets to give the provost marshal
the impression that I was carrying an old, worn
coat. These articles were sealed by the provost
marshal to prevent inspection.
We embarked upon the Golden Eagle, a boat
which on the trip before had carried negro sol-
diers. In consequence, we were fired upon all
the way clown the river, a flash from the bushes
on the banks and a volley of shot. I was in the
40
pilot house, and it was the object to disable the
pilot of our boat — the shot flew thick and fast
around us. We all fell upon the floor, and lay
trembling until the guerillas were out of sight.
At last we arrived at Memphis and changed
our boat for the Commonwealth. The captain
refused to take pay from a Southern woman,
until I assured him I was well supplied with
money.
Next we stopped at Helena, where General
Buford, of Kentucky, who was in command and
noted for his petty tyranny, refused to let me
proceed farther. I pleaded, and then wept, but
soon restrained my tears when I noticed the
expression of his face.
I said, "I see, General, that this gives you
pleasure, but as I hear that you are a dear lover
of the negro race, let me go to the plantation
and take medicine for your friends there. ' '
He was indignant, and replied, "Madam, my
refusal was in kindness, as I was a West Pointer
with your Uncle Leonidas, but now you return
to Memphis on the first boat that lands here. ' '
The boat came in an hour. It had lashed to
it, in tow, another steamboat filled with smallpox
patients, soldiers whom they were sending to
some hospital in the North. The odor was insuf-
ferable, although there were heavy tarpaulins
on that side to exclude the air. I was terrified
(as Laurence was sick, and soon broke out with
an eruption which proved to be measles), but
there was no appeal.
For seven weeks we were compelled to remain
in Memphis at the Gayosa Hotel.
41
No one was allowed to pass the lines, to go out
oi- to come in Memphis. I did not know the rea-
son then, but knew afterward — Hood's army
was advancing into middle Tennesee.
At last, on Christmas day, we were permitted
to leave. I went with my aunt, Mrs. Andrew
Polk, to headquarters to ask a pass to proceed
down the river, my second attempt.
The general was absent, but the officer. in com-
mand very sternly refused to give it to me, say-
ing the general had left such orders in regard to
all applications. I thought it hopeless, and was
preparing sadly to leave, when, all at once, there
was such a transformation, such a desire to
assist, such kindness !
My astonishment was great. My aunt was a
beautiful and charming woman, but that had no
influence upon the officer at first. What was the
magic ? All at once a light broke upon me. I
exclaimed: "I understand, you are a Mason,
you have taken three degrees, and your father,
Mr. Van Leer, was past grand master of the
State!"
She laughed, but she neither affirmed nor dis-
claimed.
CHAPTER X.
We arrived at Napoleon, Arkansas, which since
has been swept away by the ever-encroaching
river, on January 1, 1865. We were met there
by Colonel Branch, with the carriage. Our
meeting was joyful, yet tinged with a deep
undercurrent of sadness, as you can realize
everything was at that time. The battle of
42
Franklin had been fought and we felt that the
Confederacy was doomed.
Colonel Branch had been ordered to make a
cotton crop — to be gotten out as it best could
be, to buy ammunition for the army. He was
also ordered to supply the families of fifteen
soldiers with meal. The plantation was unin-
jured, and looked strangely peaceful, but the
serenity was soon disturbed.
On the third day after my arrival I was hav-
ing a pleasant talk in my sitting-room, with an
old gentleman, a neighbor, when the doors open-
ing upon the front gallery were thrown simul-
taneously open, and blue-coated soldiers swarmed
into the room.
One rushed to the old man, with a canteen of
whisky. ' ' Drink, I say ! ' ' and the old man
drank, although he did not know but that it
might have been poison, while the others com-
menced ransacking.
Eealizing the absolute necessity of coolness,
I arose, and said to the leader, apparently : "If
you will control your men, I will supply what
they demand, water, towels and food."
"They are helping themselves," he said, as a
chicken flew past, followed by half a dozen sol-
diers in pursuit. He looked at me, and said :
"I see that you are a woman of sense, so I will
give you a little advice. Behave as you are
doing now, and you will have no trouble. Here
comes the captain now ! ' '
Looking out I saw advancing down the road an
officer at the head of a hundred cavalry. He
behaved with great politeness, and remarked that
43
at the plantation above us (the Douglas), "the
house had been set on fire three times, as the
ladies had been so insulting to the soldiers that
he had found difficulty in controlling them. ' '
They stayed two days, the men encamped
upon the place, the officers in the house.
One of them picked up an album, and looking
at a photograph, said : ' ' Who is this ? " I said :
"General Pillow, an uncle of Colonel Branch's
first wife."
"And this?"
"That," I said, "is General Leonidas Polk,
the uncle of Colonel Branch's second wife.
This," I went on to say, as he turned another
leaf, "is General Lucius Polk, my brother, and
this, General Laurence Branch, killed at Sharps-
burg. ' '
"What a nest of rebels!" he exclaimed, and
closed the book in disgust.
I left soon after to weep and wring my hands
in the retirement of my room, and then to appear
composed and calm before the soldiers.
The place was left uninjured, and the captain
allowed me to supply with money a wounded
Confederate soldier, whom they had taken pris-
oner on an adjoining plantation, and send him
off in my carriage. They also left a Choctaw
pony for my boy, which no doubt they had stolen
from some place lower down on the river. The
squad first thrown out were the fast-riders, to
take prisoners, before the main body, moving
more slowly, could come.
44
CHAPTER XI.
But the Federal soldiers I did not fear at all,
as I did the ' ' Jayha wkers. ' ' They were com-
posed of roving bands from both armies, united
for the purpose of plunder — calling themselves
Confederates usually, but feared by friend and
foe alike.
Our plantation, having a great deal of cotton
hidden under the cabins, was a special object
of attraction, and, when frustrated, of revenge.
One night a?i attack was expected from one
of these bands. My room had mattresses placed
around the walls, to protect us from the shot,
while my husband, the provost marshal, and sev-
eral of our neighbors, who had come in for the
purpose of self -protection, stood behind the trees,
ready to fire, as the Jayhawkers approached.
However, they heard in some way of the prepara-
tions, and made a detour.
On another occasion, three men took Colonel
Branch out in the cane to kill him, and only the
interference of one, a Kentuckian, saved him.
Once they came when I was alone, the only
white woman in miles around, and demanded
Colonel Branch. They asked the "time," to
see, I think, if I had a gold watch, and while,
on pretense of ordering them a lunch, I con-
trived to send a message to Colonel Branch not
to return to the house.
On such occasions "Aunt Beck," who was a
GEN. LAWRENCE BRANCH.
46
famous cook, and believed in the efficacy of a
good lunch, would have one prepared in almost
incredible time, ably assisted by the other serv-
ants. One would prepare the fried chicken, or
cold ham, another the crisp lettuce salad, and
these material comforts doubtless served me
many a good turn.
In time of danger, how faithful these slaves
were ! What would have become of the women
and children of the South if they had not been ?
No wonder the men of the South wished to raise
a monument to immortalize the fidelity of the
old ' ' Southern Mammy ! ' '
So late as last winter, nearly a half century
since the slaves were freed, I received a letter,
written in Chicago, from one of them.
It was from the daughter of Grandison, our
dining-room servant, who wrote at the request of
her father, who was on his deathbed. He said
that he must "say farewell to my old mistress
before he went. ' ' He recalled to me the question
of the Federal general to him : ' ' How does the
ex-slave feel toward his former owner?" and
his reply, "Nothing but death can sever the tie
between the old master and his ex-slave." How
many instances could I enumerate of their fidel-
ity. To them I owe the preservation of my silver
during the war. "Aunt Beck" and Colonel
Branch's body-servant, Braxton, dug a hole at
midnight on the banks of the lake. There was
a massive breakfast service, and all the flat silver,
spoons, forks, and the silver pitcher and waiter.
These they enclosed in a trunk and buried in
the sand. ,
47
There it remained for some years, until
''peace" at last reigned. Then George, my hus-
band's eldest son, was sent to Arkansas, to bring
it up to our home in Tennessee, from which
State it had been sent to Arkansas for preserva-
tion.
He stopped at the Gayosa, in Memphis, for
two days, and with a boy's carelessness left the
door of his room open, yet no one ever thought
of disturbing the disreputable-looking old trunk,
tied with ropes, in which the silver had been
packed.
CHAPTER XII.
The war had ended — the long agony was over,
and again we met in our mother's home, in
Columbia, Tennessee.
First came Lucius, bravest of the brave, on
crutches. Next, Cadwalader, whose horse was
shot from under him, and he left for dead on the
battle-field at Prairie Grove. Next, Rufus, who
spent his seventeenth birthday in a prison on
Johnson's Island.
We met again, in the parlor, where, after the
battle of Franklin, Generals Cleburne, Gran-
berry and Stahl had been laid, before they were
interred at St. John 's churchyard.
A bloody handkerchief was over General Cle-
burne's face, but one of his staff took from his
pocket an embroidered one, and said: "Cover
his face with this ; it was sent him from Mobile,
and I think that he was engaged to the young
lady."
No wonder that it is said that the jingle of
48
spurs and the measured tread of a Confederate
soldier is often heard in the hall of the old house
at night !
We separated, for another battle — the battle
for our daily bread, and with no resources, and
the debt of five years, growing in interest, be-
fore us !
The men who were in that war have not been
long-lived, as a rule. Sickness, hardship and
wounds impaired their vitality. They worked
with the same doggedness of purpose, uncom-
plaining and in silence, as did Lee, their great
leader. But hope was gone — no longer there
to vivify their souls.
Then came Reconstruction days. It would
have been very different if the negroes had been
left to themselves, and not listened to the
"carpet-baggers" who swarmed over the South,
but by them they were incited to lawlessness and
insult.
The Kuklux.
What could be done 1 There was no law !
The Kuklux filled the needed want, and by thor-
ough superstition awed the negroes into better
behavior.
I have looked out in the moonlight, and seen
a long procession wending their way slowly on
the turnpike, in front of my house. Not a sound
could be heard from the muffled feet of their
horses, as in single file they moved in speechless
silence — a spectral array clothed in white. No
one knew who they were, whence they came, and
what their object, but the negroes soon knew ;
49
and if there were excesses in their new-found
liberty, crimes committed by them, they knew
there would be a speedy retribution by these
spectral visitants.
They effected a great good, but as good is often
attended with evil, lawless men, who did not
belong to the regular organization, disguised
themselves as Kuklux.
For instance, on my brother Lucius' planta-
tion, one night he was aroused by negroes from
the quarter, calling at his window, begging him
to get up ; that there was ' ' A company of
Kuklux at the quarter." He went at once, and
demanded what they wanted. They said : ' ' One
of the negroes on the place has done a great
deal of mischief, and we have come to whip
him. ' ' My brother said : "I know him to be a
good negro, and you can not whip him. " " But
we must!" "You can not," said my brother;
"if you do it will be over my dead body, for I
am his natural protector." "Well, General,
your life is too valuable to be given for this
negro's, so, as we do not wish to kill you, we
will go."
Turgeneff, in his book, "The Fool's Errand,"
in writing of the Kuklux, of whom he had heard
and seen a great deal, when stationed for some
time in the South immediately after the war,
writes: "When complaints were first sent to
the Government it ignored them, and in good
humor from having subdued the Rebellion,
treated the matter simply as pranks of school-
boys playing ghosts to frighten the negroes, but
when the representations became more serious,
50
it was forced to act, and orders were given to the
governors of the different States to imprison and
try any one who was accused of being a Ku-
klux."
The governors complied willingly — all the
good had been effected. The governors them-
selves had been Kuklux, and knew that they had
been disbanded, but bound by such solemn oaths
that to this day I can not find who were Kuklux.
CHAPTER XIII.
My husband and I went to our beautiful home,
"Buena Vista," which had been my father's.
It was endeared to me by a thousand memories
of childhood and girlhood. There had I been
married, and there had my children been born.
It was a large, old-fashioned brick house, on an
elevation. On one side, a garden bordered with
hedges of the microfilla rose, and its summer
house and arbor festooned with wreaths of yel-
low jasmine — its garden beds in the old style,
with borders of box, trimmed square.
In front of the house a climbing rose, twenty
feet high, still hung from an oak, in which were
embedded the bullets of the enemy. Upon the
gallery had stood a Confederate soldier, a mere
youth, who had fired from behind the pillars,
until the boy fell dead, riddled with bullets.
In the joy of meeting, we tried to forget the
past — and we were happy. My husband, big
in heart as well as stature, and the four children,
mere babies, and the father's delight in them.
He was of so bright and sanguine a nature, it
51
was an inspiration to be with him. I leaning
on him for love and protection ! In my checkered
life was it not a dream of heaven !
I carry it with me when days are dark, and
turn to that picture of the past.
Two years of this ideal life passed, and a sum-
mons came from the plantation in Arkansas, and
he must leave.
Colonel Branch left our home on November
11, 1867. I wished to go with him, but the care
of the little children and the place prevented,
and crippled by the war, our means were not
what they had been.
I had a premonition of ill, as I gave him the
farewell kiss.
Two days after he arrived at the plantation,
he walked the main road to examine a bridge
over the bayou, which needed repairs. As he
stood there, a buggy with the physician on the
place, Doctor Pendleton, in it, Came up. Doc-
tor Pendleton had charge of the hospitals of the
two plantations.
He had been drinking heavily and was seek-
ing a quarrel, so he called to Colonel Branch,
making an insulting remark, and drew his pistol.
The Death of Colonel Branch.
My husband raised his hand and cried out :
' ' I am unarmed ' ' ; but the fatal shot was fired,
passing completely through his body. He fell
upon the bank, partially paralyzed, and the
negroes, rushing from the cotton-field, bore him
to the house.
They filled his room, weeping, and crying
52
aloud, while his old nurse knelt beside him. lie
said: "Will no one write to my wife, and tell
her 'farewell' for me."
The crying of the negroes distressed him, so
he said : ' ' Let only a few come in at a time to
bid me farewell." This they did, and so he
passed away.
The negroes were wild, they declared he
should be avenged. Many of them had been in
his family for generations, and some in mine.
None had left during the war ; this was two
years afterward, and still all were there, faithful
to the close.
They armed themselves with guns, anything
with which they could kill, and started to Judge
Fletcher's plantation, where Doctor Pendleton
had just arrived.
The old judge had turned to him, and said :
"If you killed Colonel Branch, get out of my
house this moment," when an overseer from our
place, who was a Mason, and bound to give aid
to another Mason (and Doctor Pendleton was
one), came dashing through a short cut to the
house, and cried out : ' ' Go, for your life ; the
Branch negroes are on your track, and they will
kill you, as sure as there is a God in heaven ! ' '
Communication was very slow in those days,
and a week had passed before I arrived at the
plantation. I wished my husband to be interred
in St. John's Cemetery, at Columbia, Tennessee.
I traveled on the Henry Ames, the boat on
which I had gone down the river on my bridal
trip eight years before, and on the anniversary.
I had only heard that he was wounded, but as
53
we met each Arkansas River packet, the captain
would call out through his speaking-trumpet :
"How is Colonel Branch?" At last the answer
came, "He is dead."
Many years have passed since then, and my
days glide serenely by, only speed more swiftly,
as rivers hurry when they near their destination,
the ocean's depths.
Only one great sorrow I have had, the loss of
my beloved grandson, Laurence Winn, a boy of
rare promise, a gifted and charming young boy
who died just before his eighteenth birthday.
Nature never stands still, and we may think
of him as still fairer grown, and brighter in his
celestial home — and with this belief we should
still our hearts, and say: "God knoweth best."
I can not tear my thoughts from that past life
and those I loved so much, and I sometimes feel
that they are very near me, and I recall the
words of Isaiah : ' ' Seeing what a cloud of wit-
nesses encompass us about."
" Seeing What a Cloud of Witnesses Encom-
pass Us About."
My mother, may she be near me; may her sweet eyes
gaze in mine.
Does she watch and pray beside me, with a mother's
love divine?
Can He be near, my dearest? The world seemed a
dream of bliss,
When, alas! so soon he left me to the bitterness of
this.
54
A witness, may be, my brother, with his wounds a
tale to tell
Of battle-fields where heroes fought and the conquered
banner fell.
Silent and grand, like sculptured knight, he waits in
his lowly bed,
The sound of the reveille to call the soldier from the
dead.
One may be the gifted boy with the blue, prophetic
eyes,
Which saw, beyond his blighted life, a rainbow in the
skies —
The angels are around us, what may their mission
be?—
These souls escaped from bondage, from earthly
shackles free?
They come on silent wing through the blue realms of
space,
With a glory caught from Heaven, upon each radiant
face.
We feel their presence near us, and a rapture, as of yore,
Comes o'er us, as they whisper " Love is love forever
more."
God's messengers, sent to us in the silent hour of
prayer,
In whispers and in dreams — it may be in visions rare —
They soothe us with the thought of that blessed land of
Peace,
Where tears shall never flow and all life 's troubles
cease.
The spirits are about us, but, alas, we cannot see,
For our vision's dim and blinded to Heaven's great
mystery.
But with dying eyes we '11 see them, as we leave this
world of sin.
They'll ope' the gates of Paradise that we may enter in.
55
A Genealogical Record.
1. General Thomas Polk married Susan Spratt.
Said Thomas Polk was the son of William Polk,
and his wife Priscilla Roberts, who was the son of
John Polk, and his wife Joanna Knox, who was
the son of Robert Polk, the emigrant, and his wife
Magdalena Tasker, of Moening Hill, Ireland,
1732. Born in Carlisle, Pa.
1735-1793. Resided in Colony of North Carolina.
1769-1771. Member of Provincial Assembly of
North Carolina.
1775. Colonel of Militia.
1775. Colonel of Second Battalion of Minute Men.
1775, May 20. Called the meeting in Mechlenberg
County, and was a signer of the Mechlenberg Declara-
tion of Independence.
1776. Colonel of the Fourth regiment of North
Carolina troops; was at the battle of Brand ywine, but
not at battle of Germantown, being at that time in
command of the escort of North Carolina troops (200)
detailed to convey the Liberty Bell and guard to a
place of safety at Bethlehem, Pa., the heavy baggage
of the army, among which was the Liberty Bell. There
were several hundred wagons. (From the official
diaries of the Moravian church, Bethlehem, Pa., Sep-
tember 24, 1777.)
Charles S. Keyser in his pamphlet, "Liberty Bell."
Wheeler 's History of North Carolina.
Life of Bishop Polk, pp. 65 and 68.
Jones' "Defense of North Carolina."
Huffman's "Register of Officers in Colonial Army,"
p. 36.
Trustee of Liberty Hall College. (History of North
Carolina, Continental Line, H. H. Bellas.)
Wheeler's "Reminiscences of Eminent Carolinians,"
pp. 200-256.
56
History of North Hampton County, Pennsylvania,
1752-1877, Captain F. Ellis, historian.
Commissary General under Gates. ("Life of Leoni-
das Polk.")
2. William Polk, son of Thomas Polk, and
Susan Spratt. First wife Grizelda Gilchrist.
Second wife Sarah Hawkins.
1758, July 9. Born in Mechlenberg County, North
Carolina.
1834, January 14. Died in Raleigh, North Carolina.
1775, April 17. Second Lieutenant in a company
commanded by Colonel Ezekiel Polk.
1775, December 22. Severely wounded at Canebrake,
when only 16 years old. This was his only Colonial
service.
1776, November 26. Appointed major of the Ninth
continental battalion. From absence of the lieutenant-
colonel of this regiment, the command of it devolved
upon the major, and he marched with it to Georgetown,
and thence to Trenton, where he joined the Grand
Army under Washington, and was in the battles of
Germantown (where he was wounded), Brandywine
and Valley Forge, where he was shot in the shoulder,
and at Germantown in the mouth. Here he became
known as the young officer "who caught British bullets
in his teeth."
1812. He was appointed General in the United
States Army in 1812, but declined on account .of in-
firmities. Was nominated by Washington, and con-
firmed by United States Senate, as Supervisor of
Internal Revenue for North Carolina, which office he
held for seventeen years.
1824. He was one of the Commissioners to receive
Lafayette. Member of the Order of Cincinnati.
Genealogy of the Jones Family.
Robin Jones married Sarah Cobb. Grandson of
Eobin Jones the emigrant. (From the Bible of
57
Isaac Cobb. "His Book.") Robin Jones was
born prior to 1700 in Sussex County, Va.
1750-1756. Lived in Northampton County, North
Carolina.
1754-1755. Member of Colonial Assembly.
1761, March 20. Appointed Attorney General by
order King and Council, an office he held until his
death. Agent of Lord Granville, who was one of the
Lord Proprietors.
1766. Died.
Appleton 's Encyclopedia.
Governor Debb's Dispatches.
Wheeler's Eeminiscences, pp. 195-197.
Polls Office of Colonial Records. London.
Register of Albemarle and Sussex Counties, p. 1.
General Allen Jones, his wife, Rebecca Edwards.
Son of Eobin Jones and Sarah Cobb.
1739. Porn in Halifax County, North Carolina.
Died on his estate, Mt. Gallant, Roanoke River,
North Carolina.
1774-1768. Member of Provincial Congress.
v 1775. Delegate to Newbern Convention.
1775. Member of Committee of Safety for Halifax
County.
1776, April 23. Appointed one of the five Rrigadier-
Generals from North Carolina.
1779-1780. Member of Continental Congress that
met in Philadelphia.
1776, April 4. Represented Northampton County in
the Legislature.
1779. Member of Congress.
1784-1787. State Senator.
Wheeler's Reminiscences, pp. 196-204.
Appleton 's Piographical Encyclopedia, p. 482.
Jones' Defense of North Carolina, pp. 203-256-257.
Wheeler's History, Vol. T, pp. 65-68; Vol. 2, p. 206.
58
Genealogy of the Long Family.
Rebecca Jones, only daughter of General Allen
Jones, married Lunsford Long-, son of Colonel
Nicholas Long.
1761. Colonel Nicholas Long married Mary McKinnie.
1798. Died. Both buried at his estate, " Quanky, "
North Carolina.
1774-1775. Member of Committee of Safety, and in
Provincial Congress.
1776. Appointed by Provincial Congress Colonel
of Minute Men. Afterwards Commissary General for
the province of North Carolina.
1776. Deputy Quartermaster General, with rank of
Colonel in the Continental Army.
Jones' Defense of North Carolina.
Huttman 's Register of Officers of Colonial Army.
Appleton 's Biographical Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, pp.
185-186.
Register of Officers of Continental Army. H. H.
Bellas.
Barnaby McKinnie.
Barnaby McKinnie, father of Mrs. Nicholas
Long, nee Mary McKinnie, a noted woman of her
day. ("Women of the Revolution/' Mrs. Ellet.)
1688. Born.
1759. Died.
1734-1735. Member of the Colonial Assembly of
North Carolina.
1746-1758. Justice of County Court. Appointed by
Governor Johnstone.
Fourth sheriff of Warren County.
Patience McKinnie, daughter of Barnaby McKinnie,
married Joseph Lane, son of governor of the first col-
ony of North Carolina. Their daughter married Allen
Gilchrist, descended from Martha Jones, who was a
daughter of Robin Jones.
North C/rrotififr.
FAMILY COAT OF ARMS.
(50
Edwards Line.
Colonel Nathaniel Edwards married Jane
Eaton.
1713. John Edwards, father of Nathaniel, died in
Brunswick County.
1709. Colonel Nathaniel Edwards, born in Bruns-
wick County.
1770-1771. Member of Virginia House of Burgesses
until his death in 1771.
1771. He vacated his seat by accepting the office
of Secretary of State (deputy) for State of Virginia.
Eecords of Brunswick County. W. G. Stanard, of
Eichmond, Virginia.
William Eaton.
William Eaton (father of Jane Eaton Edwards)
married Mary Rives, of Albemarle County, Vir-
ginia.
Born in Essex County, England, and emigrated
to Virginia. His estate in England was "Eaton
Green." Owned an immense property.
1754. Colonel Granville County Militia.
1757. Member of North Carolina Colonial Assembly.
1757. Died.
See Colonial Eecords, p. 162.
Record Through Which I Became a Colonial Dame.
1. General Thomas Polk, my great grandfather
through my father.
2. Colonel William. Polk, my grandfather.
3. Eobin Jones, my great-great-grandfather. Founder
of the family in America. Descent on both sides from
him, making my father and mother cousins.
4. General Allen Jones, son of Eobin Jones, my
great-grandfather on my mother's side.
61
5. Colonel Nicholas Long, my great-grandfather
through my mother's father, who was Lunsford Long.
6. Sir Barnaby McKinnie, father of Mrs. Nicholas
Long.
7. Colonel Nathaniel Edwards, father of Mrs. Allen
Jones.
8. William Eaton, father of Mrs. Nathaniel Ed-
wards.
Branch Line.
The first Branch of whom we know was Peter
Branch, of Kent, England, who came over in the
Castle, 1638, but died on the voyage. His will,
made in favor of his ten-year-old son, John, is the
first one recorded in Boston.
John married Mary Speed, and they became the
proprietors of "Branch Island," ten miles north
of Plymouth Rock.
Peter, son of John and Mary Branch, married
Hannah, daughter of Thomas Lincoln, "the
Miller," who was an ancestor of Abraham Lincoln.
Colonel John Branch, a soldier of the Revolu-
tion. He married Rebecca Bradford, a daughter
of John and Patience Bradford.
1775. He was a "Terror to Tories" and a distin-
guished soldier.
1775. Sheriff of Halifax County, North Carolina.
1781-1782 and 1787-1788. In the Senate.
1806, March 14. Died at Elkmark, N. C.
The Branch family responded to every call to
arms and the defense of liberty. Among those
who served from Connecticut for the relief of
Boston in the "Lexington Alarm" was Sergeant
Thomas Branch and Rufus Branch. When the
signal came, announcing the approach of the
British on Bennington, he dropped his sickle in
62
the field, mounted his horse and rode away to
join Stark's forces. Many are the stories told
of the bravery and wit of Rufus' wife. At the
time of the battle of Bennington, several women
gathered at her home, intending if the British
were victorious to flee to the hills. Fear and
consternation reigned. However, Mrs. Branch
sat carding flax, declaring that she would not
stir until she could see the color of the British
eyes. During her husband's absence, with her
daughters' help, she gathered wood for winter
use, she harvested the wheat and butchered the
pigs.
The descendants of John Branch, the Revolu-
tionary soldier, were as follows :
John, Governor of North Carolina and Secretary of
the Navy under President Jackson.
Patsy married Whittier.
Patience married Southall.
Joseph married Susan O 'Bryan.
Issue of Joseph Branch and Susan O 'Bryan were
Joseph, Henry, Susan, Lawrence, and James.
Joseph married, first, Annie Martin; second, Mary
Jones Polk, of Tennessee.
Descendants, George, Martin, and Henry.
Second marriage to Mary Jones Polk. Issue, Mary
Polk, married Dr. Winn.
Their descendants were Laurence Branch Winn and
Mary Polk.
Laurence 'Bryan.
Lucia married J. W. Howards. Their descendants
are Gerald and Laurence Branch.
Joseph Gerald.
Joseph Branch was a member of the Legislature of
Florida at twenty-one, a successful lawyer and planter
in Desha County, Arkansas, where he amassed a very
large fortune. He was assassinated on his plantation,
November 22, 1867.
63
Gerald Toole.
1737. Laurence Toole married Sabre Irvine.
1750. Sabre Toole, his wife, died.
Their descendants were Mary, Elizabeth, Nancy,
Laurence, Henry Irvine, Sabre, Jean, and Geraldus.
1757. Elizabeth married Geraldus 'Bryan.
1764. Geraldus O 'Bryan died.
Sabre married Body.
Descendants of Geraldus and Elizabeth O 'Bryan:
Dennis and Laurence.
1761. Laurence was born.
1786. Married Elizabeth Simpson.
1812. Laurence O 'Bryan died.
Descendants of Laurence and Elizabeth Simpson
were :
Laurence Dennis, who married Barsha Gordon.
Susan married Joseph Branch.
1825. Susan Simpson O 'Bryan died.
Descendants of Joseph Branch and Susan O 'Bryan:
Henry, Joseph, Susan, Laurence, and James.
1. Joseph Branch, the second. Son of Joseph
Branch and Susan 'Bryan.
Married, first, Annie Pillow Martin.
Their issue:
George Martin and Henry Lewis Branch.
Married, second, Mary Jones Polk.
Their issue :
1. Mary Polk married Dr. Chas. Ware Winn.
Issue : Laurence Branch Winn, Mary Polk Winn.
2. Laurence O'Bryan Branch.
3. Lucia Eugenia, married John William Howard.
Their issue : Gerald Branch Howard, Laurence Branch
Howard.
4. Joseph Gerald Branch, the third, Joseph Branch,
second, was a member of Legislature of Florida at
twenty-one, a successful lawyer and planter in Desha
bounty, Arkansas, where he amassed a very large fortune.
He was assassinated on his plantation November 22,
1867.
Family Coat of Anns.
65
2. Laurence 'Bryan Branch, first. Son of
Joseph Branch and Susan 'Bryan. Member
of Congress from North Carolina, Speaker of
the House for many years. Brigadier-General
in Confederate Army. Killed at battle of
Sharpsburg.
Married Nannie Blount.
Issue: Susan, Nannie, Laurence and Josephine.
Susan married Robert Jones.
Issue : Laurence Branch. - * —a A
Nannie married -£— Jones. X ^^f^f-^ (hf^? '
Iff, Laurence married Miss Washerton. TtctJ^*-^^ t^J'Cj
UUfQ'ffotiGNttg&e married Burton Craig. tf. .
3. Susan, daughter of Joseph first and Susan g
'Bryan. %<SuMj^tH. £♦* &****-
Married General Robert Williams, of Florida. /%iJtjl*L. 1
Issue : Robert, married Jennie Sutton,^iLomsia'na. Jr
4. James, youngest son of Joseph and Susan
'Bryan Branch.
Married Mary Watkins.
Issue: James, Joseph, Susan and Robert.
Genealogy.
In the reign of King David, of Scotland, the
vast feudal Barony of Pollock, in Renfrewshire,
was held by the noble territorial King Fulbert,
the Saxon. Upon the death of this monarch in
1153 Petreus succeeded, who assumed the sur-
name of his vast hereditary estate of Pollock.
According to the best authorities, the Lord Baron
of this feudal kingdom was a man of eminent
ability. He was the benefactor of the monastery
Paisley. His donation was received by the
Bishop of Glasgow prior to A. D, 1190,
66
This Petreus de Pollok was a law unto him-
self, and equal to the sovereign of the realm in
wealth and power. He was the ancestor of a
long line of warriors, and the forbear of knights
who fought in the crusades. He was himself
distinguished for deeds of prowess, and the sub-
ject of many a minstrel lay.
In addition to the vast Renfrewshire estates,
Petreus de Pollok held the Barony of Rostis, in
Aberdeenshire, during the reign of Malcolm IV.,
of Scotland. The latter lands he gave to his
daughter, Maurick, who married Sir Norman de
Leslie, and became ancestress of the Lords Rostis
and Leslie.
On the death of Petreus de Pollok the ancient
patrimonial estate of Pollok passed to his brother,
Robert de Pollok, who was succeeded by his son
of the same name.
Finally we come to a later Petreus, one of the
persons of rank, who in the year of our Lord
1206 gave a forced submission to Edward I., of
England, in the bond known as the "Ragsman"
bond. He was succeeded by his son Robert de
Pollok, who married Agnes, daughter of Sir
John Maxwell, Lord of Carleverok.
Brecius de Pollok, who left a son, John de Pol-
lok, designated in a charter by King James II.,
of Scotland (December 12, 1439), as "Nobiles
vir Johannes de Pollok filius at hews Brecius."
From this famous noble sprang the illustrious
line of that ilk. His successor was Charles de
Pollok.
John de Pollok had a second son, Robert de
Pollok, who received from King James II, the
67
great land grant in Veoius Scotia, in New Scot-
land, as Ireland was then called. He became
Sir Robert de Pollok, of Ireland, whose eldest
son, Robert de Pollok, inherited the estates in
old Scotland, while the younger son, Robert,
received the newly acquired lands in Ireland,
with the title of Sir Robert de Pollok.
In the year 1640 Sir Robert, of Ireland, joined
the Scotch Covenanters, whose commander-in-
chief and Governor of Dunbarton castle was a
relative of Sir Alexander Leslie, of the famous
soldiers of that day.
Sir Robert was succeeded by his son Thomas.
Sir Robert's second son, Robert Bruce Pollok,
married the widow of Major Porter, of the Eng-
lish army. According to well-authenticated
records, this lady's maiden name was Magdalen
Tasker, of noble French descent, and heiress of
"Moerning Hall," in Ireland. She survived her
husband, and died about 1724. Certain it is that
in the year 1687 Robert Pollok had patented to
him certain estates in "Dames quarter," Somer-
set County, Maryland, which have descended in
the family to the present generation, and a fact
of more than passing interest is the will of Mag-
dalen Tasker Pollok, made when ninety years
old, in 1776, recorded in Somerset County, in
which she devises to her son, Joseph, ' ' My estate
'Moerning Hall,' " in the kingdom of Ireland,
and Barony of Ross, County of Donegal, and in
the parish of Leford.
Of the eight children who emigrated to Somer-
set County, with Robert Bruce Pollok (Polk)
and his wife Magdalen, the majority married ;
68
and .their descendants have included distin-
guished men, not only of Maryland, but all
through the South and West. When, as in the
case of Robert Pollok. we find a man of high
position, with wife and children, and the records
later disclose the fact that valuable estates were
left behind in the mother country, imagination
becomes active, and it is natural enough to pic-
ture the hasty flight of Protestants who would
be condemned to death for loyalty to a principle.
AVith the change from Catholicism, in the year
1689, we find the names of Robert Polk and that
of his son appear among the list of loyal subjects
of King William and Queen Mary.
Robert Polk was said to be an elder in old
Rehobeth church, claimed to be the oldest Pres-
byterian ehurch in America. He brought with
him from Ireland the family Bible, containing
records of births and deaths. It was stained by
the weather from being hidden in a tree. When
it was read one of the family would stand on
guard to watch for the Papists. This was after
the "Reformation." Robert Pollok \s old home,
"White Hall," was standing until about sixty
years ago, when it was burned. In it still, when
it was burned, there was a clock brought from
Londonderry, Ireland; also an old mahogany
case that contained fifteen square bottles.
The First Deeds to Land.
The first deeds of land we find recorded on
the eastern shore of Maryland were from Lord
Baltimore, date 1685: "To Robert Polk, Sr.,
'Polk's Folly': to John. 'Locust Hammock': to
69
William, 'Polk's Defense'; to Robert, Jr., 'Bally
Hook'; to Ephraim, 'Clemmel'; to James,
' James Meadow.' "
Change of Name.
Why this change of name to Polk?
Tradition says that, being Presbyterians, and
having been engaged in one of the many plots
of that sect against Charles II., they fled to
escape persecution, leaving off the last syllable
of the name and changing it from Pollok to Polk.
The name of Robert's estate, "Polk's Folly,"
suggests that Robert regretted leaving the old
country; "Polk's Defense," that William was
still rebellious. "White Hall" descended to
William Polk, the second son of Robert and
Magdalen, and from him to his descendant, Col.
James Polk, naval officer of the port of Balti-
more, under his kinsman, President Polk.
From this elder branch descend the children
of Governor Lowe, who married Esther Polk,
daughter of Col. James Polk. His daughter,
Mary Polk, married Mr. Gorter, Belgiac Consul
at Baltimore for many years.
Robert Polk, a grandson, took up lands in Dor-
chester County about 1778. His son, Col.
William Polk, was a member of the Delaware
Council, and possessor of large estates known as
"Polk's Defense," which he inherited. In this
home was born Truston Polk, Governor of Mis-
souri, and representative of Missouri twice in
the Senate.
Robert Polk, fifth son of the emigrant, married
Miss Gillette. Their son, Capt. Robert Polk,
70
married Elizabeth, sister of the great artist,
Peale (William Wilson). Their son, Charles
Peale Polk, inherited the talent of his mother's
family, and became a distinguished artist also.
"The Polk family, a family of heroes for four
generations, are of Scotch-Irish descent. They
are of very ancient lineage, tracing their descent
back to Fulbert A. D. 1075." — Genealogical
History. Col. Jones, 1899. Baltimore Sun, of
September 4, 1904. American Magazine, April,
1896, and October, 1897.
John Polk.
From John Polk, the oldest son of Robert and
Magdalen Tasker Polk, are descended the Polk
family of North Carolina, who afterwards emi-
grated to Tennessee.
John married Johanna Knox (second wife).
She died in 1777. William, only son of this mar-
riage, moved to Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He mar-
ried Priscilla Roberts. They had eight children
(and with these he emigrated to Mecklenburg,
North Carolina, in 1750), namely: Thomas,
Charles, Ezekiel, Susa (married Alex. Brevard,
Governor North Carolina), Margaret (married
A. McRae) .
Charles, the second son, was a soldier of the
Revolution, member of the Assembly 1793
(Wheeler). He was noted for his daring and
his love of a practical joke and gained the
soubriquet of "Devil Charley." One of the
anecdotes told of him was that while Colonel
Thompson's regiment encamped in a church
in North Carolina, Captain Charlie played
"Ghost." Attired in white and rattling chains,
71
he sprang up through a trap door in the pulpit
and put the regiment to flight.
Ezekiel Polk.
Ezekiel, the youngest son, was a signer of the
Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, and
commanded a company in the Revolution. His
son, Samuel, emigrated from North Carolina to
Columbia, Tennessee, in 1796, the year before
Maury was made into a county. He married
Jane Knox, whose family also had been Cove-
nanters. He was agent for his cousin, William
Polk, for his lands in Tennessee, which were one
hundred thousand acres. His oldest son was
President James K. Polk, whose life is too well
known for me to give a sketch of it here; his
successful administration, his war with Mexico,
the annexation of Texas, the acquisition of Cali-
fornia, making territory as large as the thirteen
colonial States, make his administration one of
the most glorious recorded in our history.
The Old Home of President Polk.
The old home in which President Polk lived
is still to be seen in Columbia, Tennessee.
Samuel Polk left other descendants who have
distinguished themselves. Col. William Polk, a
man of great wit and humor, Consul to Italy.
He left an only son, Tasker Polk, of North Caro-
lina, a lawyer and journalist of decided ability.
Other descendants of Ezekiel Polk were Gen-
eral Neely, of Bolaivar, Tennessee; Col. Albert
McNeil, and Edmund Polk, no one more prom-
inent in Tennessee politics than he at the time
of his early death.
PRESIDENT JAMES K. POLK.
Taken in 1848. Nashville, Tennessee.
73
Colonel Thomas Polk.
Colonel Thomas Polk, oldest son of John, mar-
ried Susan Spratt.
1724. Born in Maryland.
1735-1793. Resided in colony of North Carolina.
1769-1771. Member of Provincial Assembly.
1775. Colonel of militia.
1775. Colonel of the 2d Battalion of Minute Men.
1776. April 15, commissioned to buy powder. Trustee
of " Liberty Hall," North Carolina.
He was colonel of the Mecklenburg district at
the time of the "Mecklenburg Declaration of
Independence," of May 20, 1775, and "called
the meeting." The resolutions, read by him on
the courthouse steps to an assembly of people,
were drawn up by his son-in-law, Ephraim Bre-
vard. I shall not enter into a discussion of this
much-mooted Mecklenburg Declaration. I can •
not doubt the testimony, however, of these old
God-fearing and truth-telling Presbyterians
before the Legislature of North Carolina in 1800
to the effect that "they were present, and that
the Declaration of 1775, May 20, was similar to
that later one of 1776."
John Simmonson, in giving his testimony
before the legislature, relates this anecdote :
One aged man was asked — an old Scotchman — if he
knew anything of the Mecklenburg Declaration. He re-
plied, " Och, aye; Tarn Polk declared independence laug
syne, lang before anybody."
At a few days later date, namely, May 31, 1775, sev-
eral of these same patriots, among whom was Thomas
Polk, signed the historical and undisputed " Resolves,"
which .are on file in the Rolls Office, London. These
"Resolves" (says Bancroft) separated Mecklenburg from
75
the English empire thirteen months before the Declara-
tion of Independence.
" This is glory enough for the Mecklenburg Fathers
and is a glory that can not be plucked from their brow."
— James C. Welling.
Colonel Polk, April 15, 1776, was in command
of the escort of North Carolina troops (200),
detailed to convoy and guard to a place of safety
the heavy baggage of the army. Among the
bells of Philadelphia which he had in charge was
the "Liberty Bell." There were several hun-
dred wagons. We give extracts :
History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884:
"August, 1777. Colonel FloAver, aided by carpenters;
James Morrell, Francis Allison and Evans, took down
the bells of the churches and public buildings. They
were carried to Trenton, and thence to Bethlehem."
History of North Hampton County, Pennsylvania,
1752-1757.— Capt. F. Ellis, historian:
" September 23, 1777. Seven hundred waggons, escorted
by Colonel Polk, arrived at Bethlehem.
" The next day the train crossed the river and passed
through the town to the place where the stores were to
be deposited.
" While passing through the streets, one of the waggons
which carried the Statehouse bell broke down and its
load obliged to be transferred to another. Seven hundred
waggons deposited their stores, proceeded to Trenton to
remove a farther quantity of public property, which was
stored there.
" The Statehouse bell, which was in the waggon which
broke down in Bethlehem, had been taken down and car-
ried away for safety when the British army approached
the city." — ■ From official diaries of the Moravian Church.
" September 24, 1777. In the afternoon Colonels Polk
and Thornburg arrived with seven hundred waggons con-
taining the heavy baggage. They came directly from the
camp and everything was unloaded to a place of safety
and left in Bethlehem.
76
" A guard of two hundred men, who were encamped
on the banks of the Lehigh, were left behind."
Extract from another diary: "The heavy baggage of
the entire army arrived directly from camp, guarded by
two hundred men under Colonel Polk, of North Carolina.
There were seven hundred waggons in train, everything
was unloaded and brought to a place of safety. The
waggons were ordered to Trenton in order to fetch the
stores from that place also to Bethlehem. Among these
stores were the bells of Philadelphia. The waggon con-
taining the Statehouse bell broke down in the streets of
Bethlehem so that the bell had to be unloaded; the other
bells were taken away."
History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884, by J. Thomas
Scharf and Thompson Wescott.
Wheeler's " History of North Carolina."
Thomas S. Keyser, in his pamphlet, " Liberty Bell."
" Life of Bishop Polk," pp. 65-68.
" History of North Carolina Continental Line." H. H.
Bellas.
Wheeler's " Reminiscences of Eminent North Caroli-
nians," pp. 200-256.
" History of North Hampton County, Pennsylvania,"
1752-1757, Capt. P. Ellis, historian.
Colonel William Polk.
1759. Oldest son of General Thomas Polk and Susan
Spratt.
1824. Born January 18; died in Raleigh, North Caro-
lina.
His first wife was Grizelda Gilchrist ; second wife,
Sarah Hawkins.
Issue of first marriage :
Thomas Gilchrist, who married Mary Trotter.
William Julias Polk, married Mary Long.
Issue of second marriage :
Lucias Junias, married Mary Easton; second wife,
Anne Irwin.
Leonidas Polk, married Prances Peveveux,
77
Mary, married George Badger, Senator from North
Carolina.
Rufus King, married Sarah Jackson.
Susan Spratt, married Kenneth Raynor.
George, married Sallie Hilliard.
Andrew Jackson, married Rebecca Van Leer.
Colonel William Polk.
Owning immense tracts of land in Tennessee
— one hundred thousand acres — he states in his
will, which was probated in Columbia, Tennessee,
in 18 — . This he divided among his eight chil-
dren, the tracts being usually five thousand acres
in extent. Upon these lands were located the
homes of his children, when they left North
Carolina and made their new homes in Maury
County, Tennessee.
Their residences were a few miles apart, upon
the Mount Pleasant road. This was afterwards
made a turnpike, the work done by the slaves of
the stockholders. These were Dr. William Polk
(my father), his brother Lucias, General and
Jerome Pillow, Evan Young and Peter Booker.
This pike extended from Springhill to Clifton,
on the Tennessee river.
"Hamilton Place," the residence of General
Lucias Polk, was built by my grandfather, who
sent workmen from North Carolina in wagons,
to prepare a home for his son and his bride, who
was to be, Mary Eastin, the niece of Mrs. An-
drew Jackson, the wife of the President.
The marriage took place at the "White
House," and was very pleasing both to GeneraL
Jackson and my grandfather, who had been life-
long friends,
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79
"Ashwood Hall" was built by Bishop Polk,
and later sold to his youngest brother, Andrew,
who married Rebecca Van Leer. They were the
handsomest couple I have ever seen. He was
the captain of a cavalry company during the
Civil War, but, disabled and a wreck, he went
abroad, and both he and his wife are buried in
a foreign country. "Ashwood Hall" was,
indeed, a stately home, situated in a grove of
one hundred acres, dotted with sturdy oaks.
Two large halls opened into each other, hung
with beautiful paintings, and family portraits.
"Rattle and Snap" was the home of George
Polk. The grounds were won under peculiar
circumstances. My grandfather was playing a
game of "beans" with the Governor of North
Carolina and some others. They played for
"scrip," issued to them as Revolutionary sol-
diers. My grandfather won the game, located
the land, and named it for the game ' ' Rattle and
Snap." It was in middle Tennessee, then called
the Territory of Franklin.
"West Brook" belonged to Rufus Polk, and
was afterwards the home of my brother, General
Lucius Polk, who married his cousin Sallie
Moore, the only child of Rufus Polk.
Some of these homes were very handsome,
built in colonial style, pillars on front porticoes,
large halls, with rooms on each side, wings for
billiard-rooms and libraries.
There were beautiful gardens and green-
houses, the lawns in front were extensive, and
dotted with oaks for which Tennessee was so
famed.
80
"Buena Vista," my father's home, afterwards
mine, no longer stands. Recognizing the beauty
of its location and surroundings it was bought
by the Government for an arsenal and barracks,
afterwards converted into the "Columbia Mili-
tary Academy." Of course, the old gray brick
house was replaced by a very handsome com-
mandant's home. I was glad when it was torn
down, such a reminder of the happy past, of the
hospitality and the kindness which had charac-
terized it. They who had made it were gone,
and I could not bear to look at it.
Colonel William J. Polk.
Left Queens College, North Carolina, when he
was sixteen years old, and entered the army as
lieutenant in Colonel Thompson's (called old
"Dangerfield") regiment. He was detailed by
Colonel Thompson with thirty men to watch
some Tories in North Carolina.
He was led into an ambush by his guide, one
Solomon Deason ; Was badly wounded in the
shoulder, from which he did not recover in a
year. "This was the first blood shed south of
Lexington," said Gen. Andrew Jackson, in a
letter published in 1844, when James K. Polk
was a candidate for the Presidency; also in an
autobiography written by Colonel Polk for Judge
Murphy, of North Carolina.
General Jackson was a small boy at school
with Colonel Polk, at Charlotte, North Carolina.
They were life-long friends in North Carolina
and in Tennessee.
SI
The marriage of Colonel Polk's son, Lueias, to
Mary Eastin, the beautiful niece of Mrs. Jackson,
which took place at the "White House," was
pleasing to them both.
Col. William Polk's record is certainly a bril-
liant one. He entered the service at the age of
sixteen, was appointed major of the Ninth North
Carolina Continental Battalion when eighteen.
At one time he followed the fortunes of Marion
and Sumpter, and was aide to Carrol at Camden.
At Eutaw his horse was killed under him ; at
the same time his brother fell. At Brandywine
he was shot through the shoulder, and at Ger-
mantown through the mouth.
It was referring to this that at a ball, given in
Philadelphia to the officers, a young belle in-
quired, when he was introduced to her: " Are
you the young officer who, it is said, catches
British bullets in his teeth?"
He was appointed in the United States army
in the war of 1812, nominated by Madison and
confirmed by the United States Senate, but on
account of age and infirmities, declined. This
honor was afterwards conferred on Gen. Andrew
Jackson.
He was Supervisor of the Internal Revenue of
North Carolina, a position which he held for
seventeen years; one of the commissioners to
receive General Lafayette in Raleigh in 1824 ;
was a member of the Order of Cincinnati. Will
Polk, of Louisiana, had the diploma, which was
burned in a fire which destroyed Mr. Polk 's resi-
dence, but Col. Cadwalader Polk has the certifi-
cate of membership.
MRS. JAMES K. POLK.
83
There is a tradition, I do not know if true,
but it seems highly probable, that Colonel Polk
suggested the name of Nashville, and Davidson
County, having been by the side of Nash when
he was killed, and also with Davidson, when he
fell; and he was the first representative of
Davidson County to the North Carolina Legisla-
ture.
There are many relics of interest left by
Colonel Polk ; among them the silver spoons,
used at a breakfast which he gave to General
Washington. There is also a mahogany table,
with brass claws, which can seat fifty, used at
a banquet, given in Raleigh to Lafayette. These
are in the family of William Polk, of Louisiana,
at his plantation, "Ashton."
A miniature of Colonel Polk, beautifully
painted, and set with brilliants, is owned by
William Polk, of Tennessee. He was said to
have been very striking in his appearance, six
feet four inches in height, with a face full of
dignity and command.
The Jones Family.
1680." Robin Jones, " The Emigrant."
Robin Jones the second.
Robin Jones the third.
— From Isaac Cobb's Bible, "His Book," 1703.
Issue : Sarah Cobb.
1737. Robin Jones the third married Sarah Cobb.
Issue :
1. Allen, who married three times,
2. Wyley, married Mary Mumford.
3. Martha Cobb, married Dr. Thomas Gilchrist.
Robin married second wife, Mary Eaton, with whom
he lived unhappily. He said in his will, " What he gave
84
her in lieu of dower was more than she deserved." Their
only child, Elizabeth, married Benjamin Williams, Gov-
ernor of North Carolina, August, 1781.
1762. Allen married first wife, Mary Haynes.
Issue :
Sarah, married Hon. William Davie, United States
Minister to France.
Martha Cobb, married Judge John Sitgreaves.
Mary, married General Thomas Eaton.
September, 1768. Allen Jones married second wife,
Rebecca Edwards.
Issue :
Rebecca Jones, married Lunsford Long.
Issue of Rebecca Jones and Lunsford Long:
Rebecca, who married Col. Cadwalader Jones.
Mary, married Dr. William Polk.
Mrs. Allen Jones, nee Rebecca Edwards, was remark-
able for her great beauty, and also noted for the beauty
of her feet and high instep.
1776. Wyley Jones, married Mary Mumford.
Issue :
Ann Maria, married Joseph Little John.
Sallie, married Governor Burton, of North Carolina.
Patsey, married Hon. John W. Eppes, of North Caro-
lina.
Issue of Ann Maria and Joseph Littlejohn:
Mary, who married Lewis Williamson, of Tennessee.
Sallie, married C. C. Cherry.
Issue, Lewis Cherry, a banker in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Third. Martha Cobb Jones, daughter of Robin, mar-
ried Thomas Gilchrist.
Issue :
Grizelda Gilchrist, married Col. William Polk.
Allen, married Dolly Lane, granddaughter of Sir Ralph
Lane, Colonial Governor of North Carolina.
From this marriage the Baxters, of Nashville, are
descended.
My father, through his mother, Grizelda Gilchrist, was
third in descent from Robin Jones.
My mother, through her mother, Rebecca Jones Long,
was fourth in descent from Robin Jones.
85
My father, Dr. William Polk, and my mother,
Mary Rebecca Long, were married in 1818, at
"Mount Gallant," Roanoke County, North Caro-
lina.
This estate, "Mount Gallant," was left by my
mother 's grandfather, Allen Jones, to my mother,
his favorite grandchild. It was a grand old
home for that period, situated on the Roanoke
river, with two fisheries for herring, which came
up the river from the sea. An orangery
adjoined the house, and a long avenue bordered
with trees led down to the public road.
A secret chamber, which had never been sus-
pected, was found under the dining-room floor,
on the day of my mother's marriage — the day
when she took possession of the house, which
had been closed for many years. A servant, in
scrubbing the floor, found that it sank beneath
her, and on investigation, a trap door was found
and a room completely furnished with bed,
chairs and table, with candle on it. It was sup-
posed to have been constructed as a hiding place
during the Revolution, General Allen Jones
being a very prominent person at that time, hav-
ing been appointed by the Provincial Congress
one of the five brigadier-generals from North
Carolina. He was a man of great ability, and
large wealth. His daughter, Rebecca Edwards
Long, having died at the birth of my mother,
she and her sister, Rebecca, were taken to
"Mount Gallant," and lived with him until his
death.
He told her much of the early history of the
Jones family, and a legend of the first Jones
86
who came to America. He was a boatswain on a
British vessel that came to the Colonies. On
the return trip, when far out at sea, he leaped
from the vessel, swam to shore, and married his
sweetheart there, making his home afterwards
in Suffolk County, Virginia.
The third in descent from him was Robin
ap Robin Jones, my great-great-grandfather.
Robin ap Robin Jones.
He showed in his youth remarkable talent,
was a pupil of the Reverend Wyley, rector of the
church in Albemarle, Sussex County, Virginia,
from 1736-39. Reverend Wyley wished him to
have educational advantages that he could not
give him, and advanced the money for him to go
to England to be educated at Eton.
At that university he met and acquired the
friendship of Lord Granville, one of the Lord
proprietors, whose rule in the Colonies were over-
thrown later. He appointed him his agent, and
afterwards, in 1761, Robin was appointed
"Attorney for the Crown," as appears in a
dispatch from Governor Dobbs, in Rolls Office,
London :
April 20, 1761. " The Tusearoras will move this week
from Bertie to New York. Mr. Jones, the Attorney-
General, advanced $200 to account in bringing waggons
and provisions, on the credit of their land."
The colonial records of North Carolina show
that he was a member of the Assembly 1754-55.
Author of the bill to establish a Supreme Court,
and appointed to prepare an address to the
Governor on grievances.
He was a remarkable man in many ways.
There was a lawsuit to be tried in which he was
deeply interested. The trial was to take place
on the same day surgeons had decided that an
amputation of his leg was necessary. He was
suffering from gout and his life hung in the
balance, but he went to the courthouse, made a
great speech, which gained his case, the ampu-
tation of the limb was performed two hours
afterwards, and he died under the operation.
The heroism of my mother, his great-grand-
daughter, was quite equal to this. She was
nearly ninety years old and blind ; was suf-
fering with such pain in her eyes that it w T as
decided one must be taken out. She refused to
take any anesthetic, as she wished to retain con-
sciousness in case of death. One of the surgeons
showed great feeling, and she said to him, "Do
not be afraid, I do not dread the pain, I am
ready," and not a murmur or moan was heard.
One of the interesting stories my mother told
me was of an early experience of my grand-
father, Allen Jones. The schools were very
inferior in the Colonies, and his father, Robin
Jones, wished to give him the same advantages
that had been bestowed on him, so Allen and
his brother, Wyley, were fitted out with the best
the Colony could afford, and sent to England.
They were placed at the Alma Mater of their
father, Eton, called the "nursery of the gentle-
men of England." Accordingly, the little boys
were sent to Liverpool, where they were to be
met and placed at school, under the charge of
Lord Granville.
When the vessel landed, and they went on
shore, there was no one to meet them, and their
singular appearance soon drew a crowd. They
were attired in blue broadcloth suits, trimmed
with brass buttons, the long trousers, coats and
long vests almost to their knees, like very diminu-
tive men, amused the crowd very much, and the
frightened children were much relieved when
Lord Granville's housekeeper arrived and put
them in his carriage.
I was also much interested in my mother's
recital of the visit of John Paul Jones to her
grandfather, which was not many years before
her birth.
John Paul Jones.
He went to Virginia to administer upon the
estate of his brother, who had died the previous
year, 1774. Halifax was then a notable and
very gay place.
It so happened that the first congress of the
then independent State of North Carolina met
there. Paul was there and met the most prom-
inent men among them, the Jones brothers,
Allen and Wyley.
They were very much pleased with his bold,
frank, sailorlike manner, and invited him to
visit them, Allen at his home, "Mount Gallant,"
and Wyley at the "Grove." These homes were
noted for their hospitality, and John Paul not
only entered with zest into the sports of the
day, but was much impressed with the political
discussions between the two brothers, their
views differing entirely.
89
He there met not only the great leaders of the
day, but also their wives, some of them brilliant
and cultured, their conversation elevating and
instructive. He had access at their homes to the
finest libraries, and to their halls, where hung
pictures from England.
He remained at the homes of these two brothers
for two years, and had the good fortune, to meet
there Joseph Hewes, of Edenton, who was a
power in the politics of the time. He was a
delegate to the First Provincial Congress, a
signer of the Declaration of Independence, and
was Chairman of the Committee on Naval Af-
fairs.
The Jones brothers appealed to Hewes, and
through his instrumentality, Congress gave to
John Paul the position of lieutenant in the navy.
It was said that the brothers also assisted him
with funds. Before this John Paul had changed
his name to Jones, saying to the brothers, "He
would make them proud of it."
This compliment was intended for the brothers,
but also for Mrs. Wyley Jones, of whom he was
a special admirer.
AVhy John Paul added Jones to his name has
been much discussed of late.
Mrs. A. L. Robinson, a great-granddaughter
of Gen. Allen Jones, published not long since an
account of Paul's friendship with Allen and
Wyley Jones. The outline of his life is briefly
told. John Paul, the son of. a gardener, was
born July 6, 1747, at Arclingland, Scotland. At
the age of twelve he went to sea. The death of
his brother in Virginia, whose heir he was, in-
91
duced him to settle in America. This was in
1773. It was then he added to his name, and
was thenceforth known as Paul Jones. This was
done in compliment to one of the noted states-
men of that day. It appears before permanently
settling' in Virginia, moved by the restlessness
of his old seafaring life, he wandered about the
country, finally settling in North Carolina.
There he became acquainted with two brothers,
Wyley and Allen Jones. They were both lead-
ers in their day and were much honored in their
generation.
Allen Jones was orator, and silver-tongued.
Wyley was the foremost man of his State. The
home of the latter, "Grove," near Halifax, was
not only the resort of the cultured, but the home
of the homeless, Mrs. Wyley Jones having some-
times twenty orphan girls under her charge. It
was here that the young adventurer, John Paul,
was first touched by those gentler influences,
which changed not only his name but himself,
from the rough and reckless mariner into the
polished man of society, who was the companion
of kings, and the lion and pet of Parisian salons.
The kindness of the brothers found expression
in the adoption of their name. The truth of this
statement is not only attested by the descend-
ants of Allen and Wyley Jones, but by the
nephew and representative of Paul Jones, Mr.
Lowden, of Charleston, South Carolina. In 1816
this gentleman was in Washington awaiting the
passage of a bill by Congress awarding him the
land claim of his uncle, Paul Jones, which had
been allowed by the executive of Virginia, Hon.
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93
E. W. Hubard, then a member of Congress from
Virginia, and who had in 1844 prepared a report
on Virginia land claims, in which the committee
endorsed that of Paul Jones. This naturally
attracted Mr. Lowden to him, and learning that
Mrs. Hubard was a descendant of Wyley Jones,
he repeated to both Mr. Hubard and Mrs.
Hubard the cause of his uncle's change in name,
and added that among his pictures hung a por-
trait of Allen Jones.
Mrs. Ellet, in her "Women of the Revolu-
tion," says, "The tone of public opinion in
Halifax was very much influenced by three
women, who were rendered prominent by the
position of their husbands, and by their own
talents, and example. They were Mrs. Wylie
Jones, Mrs. Allen Jones and Mrs. Nicholas Long.
Their husbands were men of cultivated minds,
wealth and high consideration, having great in-
fluence in public councils.
The importance of the principles for which
they contended was vindicated by the conversa-
tion and patriotic zeal of their wives rather than
by their own efforts in striking appeals.
Col. Nicholas Long.
Col. Nicholas Long was commissary-general of
all the forces raised in North Carolina, and
superintended the preparation (in his own work-
shop, on his own premises) of implements of war
and clothing for the soldiers. His wife was a
most efficient cooperator; she possessed great
energy and firmness, with mental power of no
common order. Her praises were the theme of
conversation among the old officers of the army.
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95
She died at about ninety years of age. Her
maiden name was McKinnie — Mary McKinnie.
Mrs. Allen Jones was Miss Edwards, sister
of Isaac Edwards, English secretary of Gov-
ernor Tryon.
She had the reputation of being the most
accomplished woman of the day, and was
remarkable for the elegance and taste shown in
all of her arrangements. She left an only
daughter, Rebecca, who married Lunsford Long.
There is a punch-bowl in the museum at
Washington's headquarters at Morristown, New
Jersey, with this inscription on the card: "A
punch-bowl owned by General Washington. It
was given to him by Mrs. Allen Jones, of North
Carolina. ' ' It was highly prized by him, and
preserved in the family for four generations —
it was cracked when hiding it from Tarleton's
men.
When the army of Cornwallis passed through
Halifax to Virginia, his officers were quartered
in the town. Colonel Tarleton was quartered at
the "Grove." He had been wounded at Cow-
pens, in the hand, a sabre cut from Col. William
Washington.
In speaking of Colonel Washington, Tarleton
said: "He Avas an ignorant, illiterate fellow,
scarcely able to write his name." "Ah, colonel,"
said Mrs. Jones, "you should know better, for
you bear upon your person proof that he can
make his mark."
These incidents in regard to John Paul Jones,
which I gathered from my mother's lips, are
corroborated by many authorities — one, Fred
•^- A'SL^
MB
97
A. Olds, of Raleigh, North Carolina ; another,
Cyrus Townsend, author of a "Life of Paul
Jones," in a very conclusive article of July 24,
in Munsey's Magazine. In a genealogical history,
by Col. Cadawalader Jones, of South Carolina, I
see the same facts given by him as I relate hav-
ing heard from my mother. We are both
descendants of the two grandchildren, who lived
with Gen. Allen Jones.
Neither Allen Jones nor his brother Wylie
left any male descendant. Consequently, we
have no relatives who bear the name of Jones,
through Robin, but through the marriage of his
great-granddaughter, Rebecca Jones Long, to
Maj. Cadwalader Jones, they bear the name of
Jones. Wylie had a son who died very young
from gout in his head, which it seems he must
have inherited from "old Robin."
General Allen also had a son, who died at the
early age of eight. Governor Iredell, of North
Carolina, in a letter published in a volume — I
think it is called "Recollections of Eminent
North Carolinians" — writes that while on a
visit to Gen. Allen Jones, at "Mount Gallant,"
he was seated on the porch when General Jones'
little son, who was playing on the gallery, com-
menced screaming, with his hand upon his head.
He suffered very much, and died in two hours.
I have a miniature of this boy, a beautiful thing,
intended to be worn with a black velvet as a
bracelet. On the gold back of the locket is this
inscription: "Robin Jones, 1778. Died aged
eight. Too soon did heaven assert its claim, and
called its own away."
98
This, and some other relics, which my mother
gave me, I very much prize. One is a gown,
worn by an ancestress during the Revolution. It
is of heavy brocade, with pink and white roses.
The gored skirt is as narrow as the hobble skirts
of to-day. It is trimmed with exquisite lace,
"Point de Venise," which hangs in tatters.
I have also a chair cover, blue, and embroid-
ered with the first cotton brought to North Caro-
lina, the work of Mrs. Allen Jones.
The portrait of Robin Jones was given to Mrs.
Eppes, of Virginia, his granddaughter, and is
now at the residence of Colonel Hubard, M.C.,
who married Mrs. Eppes' daughter.
The Long Family.
Col. Nicholas Long, founder of the Long fam-
ily in Halifax, was in his day one of the most
important men on the Roanoke ; he was a
wealthy planter. His residence "Quankey, "
near that old borough, bad more than a State
reputation ; it was the headquarters of military
affairs.
When General Washington visited the Caro-
linas, he and his staff stopped with Colonel Long
for several days. Colonel Long came to North
Carolina about 1750 from eastern Virginia. He
had a daughter, Lucy, who married William H.
Battle, Assistant Justice of the Supreme Court
of North Carolina. Their son, Kemp Plummer
Battle, was formerly president of the University
of North Carolina.
Col. Nicholas Long married Mary McKinnie,
99
daughter of John McKinnie, in August, 1761. It
appears from a deed, dated 1751, that John
McKinnie had four children : Mary, Patience,
Barnaby and Martha.
Nicholas Long, the oldest son of Nicholas
Long and Mary McKinnie, was a gallant soldier
in the Revolution. ■ He and Major Hogg had the
celebrated race after Tarleton with Colonel
Washington. It is related of him that two Brit-
ish cavalrymen pursued him. He wheeled and
sought safety in flight; they opened fire and in
the hot pursuit were separated. Observing this,
he suddenly turned and dispatched both with
his sabre. He married Rebecca Hill in 1778 and
moved to Georgia.
Mary Long married Bassett Stith, Virginia,
1790. McKee, in his "Life of Judge Iredell,"
says, "Thomas Iredell visited Halifax in July,
1790. A letter from him gives a characteristic
account of the gay and opulent borough. " " The
divine Miss Polly Long" had just been married
to Basset Stith, a Virginia beau. The nuptials
were celebrated by twenty-two consecutive din-
ner parties in as many different houses ; the
dinner being regularly succeeded by dances, and
all terminated by a grand ball. Miss Wallace,
an heiress, Miss Lucas, and Miss Hooper were
the belles of the occasion.
Lunsford Long, another son, married Rebecca,
daughter of Gen. Allen Jones, 1794. They had
two daughters : Rebecca, who married Col. Cad-
walader Jones (the same name, but different
family), and my mother, Mary, who married Dr.
William Polk.
100
"Quankey" the home of the Longs, on
Quankey creek, was well known as a seat of
great hospitality, and as it was a large and
delightful home, Mrs. Long continued to reside
in it after the death of her husband. She was
left there alone, her children having all married
and moved away with their families, so she was
pleased to take charge of a young lady, pre-
sumably a relative, a sister of Sir Peyton Skip-
with, named Miss Richmond. This Miss Rich-
mond afterwards married Lemuel Long.
Mrs. Long was noted for her benevolence. She
took for charity several of the poor young girls
of the neighborhood to teach them to spin and
embroider and the accomplishments of the day.
The Haunted House.
The story that is told, and which is well known
by all in that section, was this : "As the old
lady sat one night with her distaff before her,
surrounded by her girls, they were startled by
the fall seemingly of an immense wardrobe,
which was in the apartment above. Mrs. Long,
carrying a candle in her hand, and each girl
bearing a light, proceeded up the long stairway
to investigate — but not an article out of its
place, and not a human being in the house but
themselves. After this each night the same
unaccountable noises were heard. Everything
was done to put an end to these sounds. At one
time it was thought it might proceed from the
cellar, where empty wine casks had stood, and
their iron hoops hung upon the wall. Then a
large tree was cut down, that overhung the
house, but all in vain. When the old lady
loi
breathed her last, it was said by those who sur-
rounded her, that a long wailing cry was heard.
After Mrs. Long's death some member of the
family continued to reside in the house, until at
last worn out with trying to ferret the mystery,
it was sold and went into other hands.
Fifty years after this occurrence I left my
home in Tennessee to visit relatives in North
Carolina. As I passed over the bridge at
' ' Quankey creek, ' ' I asked the conductor to point
out to me the old home. "I can show you the
site," he said, "but the house was torn down
long ago. One person after another tried to
live in it, but left frightened, so after being left
vacant for some years, it was torn down."
And so ended the weird experiences of the
haunted house.
Mrs. Long ended her long and eventful life
in her ninetieth year, and was buried in the
family graveyard at "Quankey."
Of the lovely old couple of whom I will now
write I feel it to be a pious duty, my father and
my mother.
Dr. William Polk.
Dr. William Polk, my father, married my mother,
Mary Eebecca Long, at Mt. Gallant, North Carolina,
about 1818.
Afterwards moved to Buena-Vista, Tennessee, in 1834.
Issue :
1. Grizekla Gilchrist, married Eussel Houston, Chief
Attorney of the Louisville & Nashville Eailroad for
fifty years.
2. Allan Jones, married first, Mary Clendenin; sec-
ond, Anna Clark Fitzhugh.
3. Thomas Gilchrist, married Lavinia Wood.
102
4. Mary Jones, married Joseph Branch.
5. Lucius Eugene, married Sallie Polk (his cousin).
6. Cadwalader, married Carrie Lowry.
7. Rufus Julias, married Cynthia Martin.
1. Issue of Grizelda and Russel Houston:
Allen, married Mattie Belle Shreve, of Louisville.
Lucia, married George Hull, of New York (her daugh-
ter, Grizelda, married Richard Pierson Hobson).
Elise, married Theodore Presser, of Philadelphia.
2. Issue of Allen and first wife, Mary Clendenin :
Mary Polk, married Frank Hemphill, of Alabama.
Issue of Allen and second wife, Anna Fitzhugh :
1. Susan, married Woodie Kessee, of Helena, Arkan-
sas.
2. Anna Lee, married Sam Pepper, of Memphis.
3. Grizelda, married Thompson Hargreves, of Helena,
Arkansas.
4. Robin Jones.
3. Thomas, married Lavinia Wood.
Issue :
Mary, married Willie Littlejohn.
Caroline, married Ham Horner.
Zell, married Joe Sterling.
4. Mary Jones married Joseph Branch.
Issue :
Mary Polk, married Dr. Chas. W. Winn.
Lawrence Branch.
Mary Polk.
Lawrence, St. Louis, Missouri.
Lucia, married Mr. John William Howard, of Ten-
nessee.
Issue :
Gerald Howard.
Lawrence Branch.
Joseph Gerald Branch, of Chicago, Illinois.
5. Lucius, married Sallie Moore Polk.
Issue :
Rufus, Member of Congress, from Pennsylvania, mar-
ried Isabel Greer.
Rebecca, married Scot Harlan.
William Julius, married Willie Glass.
103
Lucius .
James Knox.
6. Cadwalader, married Carrie Lowry.
Issue :
William, married Lula Donnell.
Annie, married Chris Agee.
Cadwalader, married Lucile Greenfield.
Nina, married Will Coolidge.
Edmund, married Miss Wood.
7. Rufus, married Cynthia Martin.
Issue :
Eugene, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rufus.
William Julius, married Sarah Chambers.
Charles, married Nannie Lee.
Four of these sons were soldiers in the Civil
War: Thomas Gilchrist, an aide to General
Tappan; Gen. Lucius Eugene, of whom I shall
write later; Colonel Cadwalader, who was first
with Jackson in Virginia, afterwards in the
western army under General Price; promoted
for gallantry from second lieutenant to colonel.
At the battle of Prairie Grove he was left for
dead on the field, taken to the Federal Hospital,
and a month afterwards liberated in an exchange
of prisoners. Capt. Rufus Julius, of whom Sam
Watkins speaks in his book "Company H," as
being "beautiful as a girl," was a prisoner on
his eighteenth birthday at Johnson's Island. He
was in the last skirmish of the war in Alabama.
St. John's Church.
Although most of these homes of the Polks
have been burned, or passed into other hands,
there still stands sacred to memories of the past
St. John's Church. It was built in 1837 by the
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Polk brothers, the site given by Andrew (the
youngest), the font by their sister, the handsome
gate at a later period by Van Leer Polk. It is
called "the most historic church in Tennessee."
During the Civil War it was used alternately as
a hospital by the conflicting armies, whichever
was in control at the time.
The church was much mutilated by the troops
under Buell as they passed down the pike in
front of it to reinforce Grant at Shiloh. They
broke the bell and the window glasses, hacked
the organ, blowing the pipes as they marched,
and taking the beautifully embroidered altar
cloths as saddle-blankets. The portraits of
Bishops Polk and Otey, which were in the vestry
room, had been moved, fortunately, to the
Columbia Institute for safe-keeping.
The church from time to time has been opened
for services since the War, but is usually closed.
The Polk family, most of whom live in different
States, send funds to keep it in repair. It is to
Col. Harry Yeatman, however, that they are
chiefly indebted for its care. He was an officer
on Gen. Leonidas Polk's staff, and married his
niece, Mary, a daughter of Gen. Lucius Polk,
Sr., and lived at "Hamilton Place" for many
years, until his tragic death two weeks ago.
What different scenes have been enacted in
this old church ! In earlier days brides in their
white attire stood before its altar, and infants
were brought to be christened at the font. There
came a later day when soldiers fought around its
walls, and the dead and dying were piled upon
its floor.
106
Among the dead who were buried there were
Generals Cleburne, Stahl and Granberry, and
at a later day, Gen. Lucius Eugene Polk, who
never recovered from the wounds he received
during the war. Generations of those who died
earlier are buried there — representatives of the
old-time South. The ideal Southern gentleman,
with his courtesy and chivalry, the gracious
gray-haired matron, their surroundings as well
as their heredity developed their characteristics
of loyalty, truthfulness, courtesy and courage.
Other graves are there which also tell a story
of the past. It is of another race who were born
slaves. Between them and their owners was an
inherited bond of affection — responsibility on
the one hand, and on the other of service and
faithfulness.
Mammy Sue.
I recall among these graves a monument
which bears this inscription : ' ' Sacred to the
memory of Mammy Sue, the faithful nurse of
George and Sallie Polk's eight children."
In the morning the services in the church were
for the masters, in the afternoon their daughters
taught the children of the other race, and all
knelt together in prayer.
In the cemetery are two white monuments
exactly alike. My father, on his deathbed, believ-
ing the separation from his beloved wife to be
very brief, ordered them, but my mother's was
not put in place until her death twenty years
afterward.
This church of many memories stands in a
107
cemetery of seven or eight acres, surrounded by
a stone wall.
The large oak trees and the carpet of blue
grass make it a lovely spot, but the doors of the
church are closed, the windows unopened, the
iron gate in front locked. Sometimes a long pro-
cession winds through it, as the body of one who
has passed away in some far-off State is borne,
to be laid to rest beside his forefathers.
But in the distance is heard the sound of the
automobile and the roll of heavy wagons upon
the pike, and we realize the brightness of the
world without and the busy life which surrounds
the old church with its story of the past.
THE END.
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